Latest news with #SwanOysterDepot
New York Post
11-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Legendary California seafood restaurant clashes with ‘glamorous' influencer who ignited backlash over Trump hat
Pearly fright. A 'glamorous' California restaurant blogger tried calling out a century-old oyster bar for displaying a Trump hat before the family-owned business owners fired back. Kat Ensign's visit to San Francisco's Swan Oyster Depot left her clammy after she noticed the stars and stripes adorned black cap with '45' and '47' emblazoned on the front, referring to President Trump's two terms, behind the shop's counter. 6 A Trump '45 47' is displayed inside Swan Oyster Depot in San Francisco. @katfoodsf/Instagram The food influencer appeared disgusted by the apparent political alignment of the restaurant but waited several months to post the photo for optimum backlash against the 113-year-old business. 'Swan oyster depot -> absolutely not,' Ensign wrote on social media on July 8. Ensign questioned if she was the only one who didn't know about the alleged Trump support at the family-owned business. 'Am I late to the game or did everyone else now this?' she asked on TikTok. The food influencer has 36,600 followers on Instagram and another 16,000 on TikTok. 6 Kat Ensign eats at Jagalchi Daly City Oyster Bar as part of her Instagram food reviews. @katfoodsf/Instagram Ensign's social media posts prompted a mass-review bombing of the restaurant featuring thousands of one-star reviews, according to SFGate. Google and Yelp pages rate the eatery as a 4.6 and 4.2-star establishment, respectively. The legendary establishment, opened in 1912, is located in the Polk Gulch neighborhood of San Francisco, one and a half miles west of the Financial District. The Swan Oyster Depot's owners claim they were given the hat from a guest and it was restaurant tradition to display such items inside. 'It was a gift from a customer, much like a lot of the stuff that ends up in our store, whether it's rubber duckies or dollar bills from all over the world,' co-owner Kevin Sancimino told the outlet. 'Our place is a collection of things that have come in over the years.' 6 Customers line up outside Swan Oyster Depot in San Francisco, Calif. on Dec. 1, 2011. San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images 6 A customer eats at Swan Oyster Depot on Oct. 17, 2006. Getty Images Pictures of Ronald Reagan and a letter from former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher have also been gifted to the family business, according to Sancimino. The business also has a copy of 'Hillary Rodham Clinton: Her Essential Wisdom' on display to show different viewpoints of customers. Swan Oyster management accused Ensign of waiting to post the photo because the store has been closed since July 3 and the hat was taken down two weeks earlier for cleaning before the family went on a two-week vacation. Ensign told the ownership she had taken the photo months earlier but waited to post it because she was still getting bad press from a local executive chef after she poorly reviewed his restaurant, SFGate reported. 6 Owners Jimmy Sancimino and Steve Sancimino prepare for the lunch rush on Dec. 1, 2011. San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images 6 The food influencer has 36,600 followers on Instagram and another 16,000 on TikTok. @katfoodsf/Instagram Sancimino defended the decision to display the hat, saying he didn't find it 'super offensive' and it didn't portray the family or employee's political beliefs. 'People can have their different political views, and we can all coexist in the same space,' Sancimino said. 'I just find it to be a little bit sad that somebody would try to make a pariah out of someone or their business for having an alternative political view. … It seems myopic. … Why does political belief not fall under the realm of inclusivity?' Ensign faced backlash for her poor social media post allegedly attacking a family-owned business. 'At what point, as a country, did we decide that it's okay to attack and shame a fellow citizen because they don't have the same political view that we do? Asking for a friend…' one Instagram user commented. 'Trying to destroy someone's livelihood because of how they vote isn't activism — it's bullying in disguise. You don't have to agree with someone's politics to respect their right to earn a living. If your convictions are so fragile that they require silencing people instead of debating them, maybe the problem isn't them — it's you,' another comment read. 'Do something better with your following verses knocking down family-owned businesses,' said a third user. 'This is what you want to be known for? The oyster girl?' said another.
Daily Mail
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Influencer tries to cancel 113-year-old San Francisco oyster house over MAGA hat... but owners fire back
A food influencer has ignited a feud with an 113-year-old San Francisco oyster house over a pro-Trump hat propped on the restaurant's shelf - with its owner clapping back to defend the family business. Swan Oyster Depot has been hit with awful reviews and social media comments after California-based creator Kat Ensign shared a snap of a MAGA cap she saw while waiting to order. 'Spotted at swan after waiting in a long a** line,' Ensign, who goes by @katfoodsf on Instagram, wrote on a photo of an American flag baseball cap with '45 47' on the front. These two numbers have become popular symbols among conservatives, as they represent each of Donald Trump 's presidential terms. Doubling down on her discontent, the audio she placed over the image is someone saying: 'Absolutely not, absolutely not, absolutely not - turn around, full U-turn.' Ensign uploaded the post on Tuesday, echoing her disdain once again, 'swan oyster depot -> absolutely not' as the caption. She also shared the uproar-sparking image on TikTok, asking her more than 16,000 followers, 'am I late to the game or did everyone know this?' In the meantime, one of its co-owners has broken his silence on the controversy, saying the MAGA hat is not a fair representation of his family's restaurant. Kevin Sancimino, who owns the restaurant with his brother Tom, told SFGate the hat wasn't treated any differently from others the staff care given. 'It was a gift from a customer, much like a lot of the stuff that ends up in our store, whether it's rubber duckies or dollar bills from all over the world,' he said. 'Our place is a collection of things that have come in over years. We've got pictures of Ronald Reagan. He was a customer years ago. 'One of our treasured possessions is a letter from Margaret Thatcher on the news of Parliament.' In the aftermath of the post, the award-winning fish counter has been flamed online, with residents of the blue state vowing to never return over the political display. 'Oh that is so disappointing… thank god we are lucky enough to live in such a beautiful city with so many fantastic restaurants with amazing food, that are deserving of our support,' one person wrote. 'Never been and now won't have a reason to go,' another chimed in, with someone adding 'Oh hello no! Hard pass. Disappointing.' But others have fiercely defended the business, with one man writing: 'At what point, as a country, did we decide that it's okay to attack and shame a fellow citizen because they don't have the same political view that we do?' 'That's awesome supporting the United States and what makes America Great!!!' someone added. View this post on Instagram A post shared by KATFOODSF (@katfoodsf) 'To bash it is just poor liberals just being upset and having nothing better to do with their lives.' On Yelp, while the overwhelming majority of the comments are four or five stars, unflattering reviews have been pouring in since Ensign bashed the family-owned business online. 'The MAGA vibes are gettin creepy,' one reads, with another critic asking, 'Why patronize a place that supports a President who attacks everything that the City stands for?' With the unprecedented amount of attention pouring in, Yelp has stopped allowing people to rank the restaurant. 'This business recently received increased public attention, which often means people come to this page to post their views on the news,' the website reads. The favorited seafood spot has been closed since July 2 for the Fourth of July and will reopen on July 14, according to its Instagram page. Amid defending the hat's presence establishment, Sancimino claimed the post was strangely timed, as it went up while the Swan was closed for the holiday. He added the '45 47' hat has not been on display for at least two weeks before the establishment closed. 'People can have their different political views, and we can all coexist in the same space,' Sancimino told SFGate. 'I just find it to be a little bit sad that somebody would try to make a pariah out of someone or their business for having an alternative political view. 'It seems myopic... Why does political belief not fall under the realm of inclusivity?'
Eater
09-07-2025
- Business
- Eater
This Famed SF Oyster Bar Is in Hot Water for Displaying a Trump Hat
is the associate editor for the Northern California and Pacific Northwest region writing about restaurant and bar trends, coffee and cafes, and pop-ups. Swan Oyster Depot is no stranger to controversy. Now, the business stirred things up with a hat allegedly supporting President Donald Trump. Daniel Krieger/Eater SF A restaurant known for affordable oysters and stirring controversy alike has received a flurry of negative attention online once again. A local influencer shared a video allegedly showing a blue hat adorned with stars, stripes, and the numbers 45 and 47 inside Swan Oyster Depot — a tourist destination and Anthony Bourdain favorite for crab legs in Louie sauce, oysters, and draft beer. The numbers, according to the San Francisco Standard, are a common reference to Trump's two terms in office. Reddit users reposted the influencer's screenshot, drawing some ire in the comments about the business. While businesses displaying images of the owners' political and personal affiliations is not uncommon, this is just the latest in the restaurant's history of stirring diners' rage. Swan Oyster Depot's most infamous incident might be its 2021 treatment of local designer Tin Dinh. Eater SF previously reported that Dinh and his sister were called 'dim sum' multiple times by a staffer. At the time, owner Jimmy Sancimino told Eater the term referred to customers who order from multiple staff members. Embarcadero Mexican restaurant rallies funds to open Don Ramon's Mexican Restaurant closed its SoMa doors in March 2023 after 40 years in business. The family has a restaurant in the works, the former Rubio's location inside Four Embarcadero Center. Now Tablehopper reports the family's nearing completion of construction thanks to a final GoFundMe push for $75,000 to reach opening. La Cocina-approved tempeh company expands Reculture Foods is on a mission to make tempeh a staple in Bay Area kitchens. The business is run by Indonesian American entrepreneurs Feby Boediarto and Melati Citrawireja, both longtime Bay Area residents and staples in the food industry. Their business is now growing, their tempeh is available in grocery stores and restaurants, including Damansara, as of July 19. Further, the team is kicking things off with a launch party on Saturday, July 19 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Other Avenues Grocery Cooperative in San Francisco. Mega popular pho restaurant opens in Berkeley A Bay Area Vietnamese restaurant mainstay is opening near the UC Berkeley campus. Pho Ha Noi will open its sixth location at 2435 Telegraph Avenue, per the San Francisco Chronicle. Owners Helen and Harry Nguyen opened their first restaurant at San Jose's Vietnam Town shopping center in 2016. Eater SF All your essential food and restaurant intel delivered to you Email (required) Sign Up By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
