It took four years for the Duggans to expand from there. In 2016, they opened a second Original Joe’s in the iconic midcentury Daly City space owned by their founder’s former partner, who, for more than 50 years, ran it as Joe’s of Westlake. But most of Original Joe’s new expansion has brazenly occurred during the economically tender years that started in 2020. Since then, in the face of a full-blown hospitality recession, the Duggans have opened three restaurants, with another on the way.
The first was in 2020, when the Duggans opened Little Original Joe’s in West Portal, a pizza and salad takeout selling Italian provisions. At the beginning of this year, they dared to go off-brand and launched Elena’s, an unashamedly Mexican-American restaurant. The minute the 100-seater opened — complete with a wood-fired oven, towering indoor ficus trees, and flickering gas lamps — it was like the second coming of fajitas. You still can’t get in.
The acumen for restaurant operations has been passed down: Marie, 77, and John Sr., 82, who ran Joe’s for years, are semi-retired. Their children, Elena, 52, and brother John Jr., 50, have taken over operations. Marie recalls that after the fire at the Tenderloin location, she and her husband were spent: “The kids said to us, ‘You two just sit down now. Relax.’”
Today, it is “the kids” who are driving the expansion. They just ask that their parents kindly reserve judgment until each new location is open — at least, as much as possible.
This article was originally published by a sfstandard.com . Read the Original article here. .