SF's Last Squat & Gobble Set to Close After 32 Years

"Squat & Gobble, the local creperie chain that long outlived a crepe trend that swept the country decades ago, and even outlived that trend's 90s resurgence, is having its swan song this week at its last remainin location in West Portal. San Franciscans may have fond brunch memories of Squat & Gobble, which once had five locations around the city including in the Lower Haight, Castro, and Marina neighborhoods."

"The restaurant announced the closure, after 32 years in business, in an Instagram post late last week. "It wasn't an easy decision but unfortunately all good things must come to an end! Thank you all for your support through the good times and bad, we wouldn't have survived without all of you!" the post says. Americans first fell for French crepes, in particular the sweet variety, like Crepes Suzette, in the 1960s, as French restaurant proliferated across the country."

"That gave way to the often mall-based chain restaurant The Magic Pan, whose first location, was opened in 1965 in San Francisco by former skiing champion Laszlo Fono in a space at 3221 Fillmore Street in the Marina. The Magic Pan would later open a larger spot at Ghirardelli Square before being acquired by the Quaker Oats Company in 1970, which grew it into a chain with 110 locations nationwide, peaking in the late 70s and lasting until the early 1990s."

Squat & Gobble, a San Francisco creperie chain established in 1993, is closing its last remaining location in West Portal on January 25 after 32 years in business. The chain once operated five locations across the city, including the Lower Haight, Castro, and Marina, and the West Portal spot retained neighborhood support until now. The restaurant announced the closure via Instagram, thanking patrons for their support. U.S. interest in French crepes rose in the 1960s, spawning chains like The Magic Pan, which expanded under Quaker Oats and peaked in the late 1970s. A 1990s crepe-brunch revival produced local creperies including Ti Couz.

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