C&C Front
Crown and Crumpet celebrate their 1st year anniversary!
We had the pleasure of meeting Christopher and Amy Dean in June of 2008 at the World Tea Expo, only a few months before they opened their lavish new tearoom in Ghirardelli Square, San Francisco. The ‘lavishness’ refers not only to the décor, but also the view and the rent. Amy fondly remembers, “Christopher was so excited showing me his pictures of the newly designed teapots with their logo on his mobile phone. You could tell this tea room was his baby. His excitement was infectious. It reminded of me when I opened my own tearoom.”
We all were impressed that they were choosing such a challenging market with the high-profile tourism. It’s an expensive piece of real estate with high demands by the landlord but they have the opportunity to make teatime much more visible. People will come to their door that may never have considered a cuppa in the afternoon. Christopher, Amy and their will trained staff will often be the first to introduce a tea menu and serve a pot of loose leaves. On the other hand, those of us with closets full tins love the opportunity to sit on the terrace and savor a fine Darjeeling while feasting on the visual flavor of fog dripping over the Golden Gate Bridge.
But the blessing of such an amazing view and brisk tourist trade is challenged by some of the leasehold demands. They are required to be open 9 AM-9 PM, seven days a week. In addition to their tearoom menu, they must be open for breakfast and stay open late. And to the evening crowd they offer sherry and aperitifs along with tea and their fine food pairings.
Amy and Babette toasting tea at Crown and Crumpet
We were there on the day they first opened and celebrated by returning for their first anniversary. It was going to be an unusually hectic day so we snuck in before the crowds. The annual Chocolate Festival. Crown & Crumpet had already sold out of their seatings for special chocolate-themed teas. So, we accepted our bit of view and wished them well for a busy day and a successful year.
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