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Hello, old friends.
It is with great sadness that we share the news that we have permanently closed both locations of The Riddler, in San Francisco and the West Village. Our motto at The Riddler is “Hello, old friend.” You can’t imagine how hard it is for us to say goodbye. When we opened The Riddler five years ago in San Francisco and last year in the West Village, we wanted to create spaces where guests felt like they were settling in at a place they’ve always loved. We loved serious Champagnes but didn’t take ourselves too seriously: we paired our Champagne with burgers and tater tot waffles, served our caviar with potato chips, and offered free popcorn all day and all night. We were a women-led team: 100% of our investors are women, our kitchens and sommelier teams are led mostly by women, and we partnered with women winemakers and artisans whenever possible. Unfortunately, even with an incredible support system, we realized we were losing more than we could sustain any longer, and we simply couldn’t make it work.
The hardest part about closing is the loss of daily interactions with the people who make The Riddler so special: our team members, our neighbors and regular guests in Hayes Valley and the West Village, our supplier partners and reps, and the incredible winemakers who we have grown so close to. We will miss each and every one of you, and hold our memories with you close to our hearts. We hope that the spirit of The Riddler will live on, in you and in us.
In the fall, we’re teaming up with Bonhams Auction House on an auction of the beautiful design objects from our spaces, including our tables, champagne buckets, furniture, art, and lighting. We'll be sending out an email to everyone who is subscribed to our newsletter and posting about it on instagrams @theriddlersf and @theriddlernyc.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to our incredible team and all of our guests in New York and San Francisco. We couldn't be more grateful to each and every one of you. We'll be sure to stay in touch, and we look forward to saying “hello, old friend” again soon.