Bay Area restaurants pivot to feed the homeless during coronavirus pandemic

By Peter Heartlaub

“It dawned on us that there’s a huge need for meals for people outside the social safety net right now. People like the unhoused.”

When the Bay Area’s shelter-in-place order came down on March 16, Luka’s Taproom & Lounge owner Rick Mitchell watched his business drop 90% overnight, with a small boost when they created a takeout menu.

But the Uptown Oakland restaurant and pub was bustling again Monday with a second name – Luka’s Community Kitchen – and a new mission, working under the umbrella of a nonprofit to feed the unsheltered and vulnerable.

See more at San Francisco Chronicle