SF Fillmore St. businesses announce 'sinkhole specials' as they continue to recover from main break

SAN FRANCISCO - Businesses in San Francisco's Cow Hollow are offering deals, hoping customers will return after a massive sinkhole undermined Fillmore Street.

The sinkhole formed due to a water main break earlier this week, and crews are still working to fix the street. 

While the work is ongoing outside, inside the Wilder bar and restaurant, work continued right up until opening, to make sure they were ready for business. 

"I got all of our employees here working hard, we're trying to get open," said Sean Doolan from Wilder. "We're hoping for a good showing with the community, which I think we are, we've had a lot of people reach out and say, ‘We are going to see you at 4 for happy hour.’"

Staff at Wilder are leaning into the "hole" thing on their social media, and they're offering a week's worth of specials on wine and martinis all on one day. 

"Like I said, we're leaning hard into it. Being closed Wednesday and Thursday when the locals normally come out for those specials because they enjoy it, we're going to offer all those today," Doolan said.

Wilder was just one of about 30 businesses impacted after a more than 70-year-old water main gave way early Monday morning, sending water downhill from Fillmore and Green streets into the Union Street business corridor. 

It's not just restaurants that are feeling a decrease in foot traffic, pop-up gift shop Bowerbird also offered sinkhole specials to bring in customers. 

"About the sinkhole, I mean we definitely got some folks coming from around town just to see what was going on and the commotion," said Amy Rauchenstein. "But, overall it was definitely a dip in getting people into the door."

Those in the area say they know that small businesses are the key to preserving the unique feel of San Francisco's neighborhoods, and that means the neighbors need to turn out and patronize those businesses following any impact from the sinkhole. 

"You have to definitely support your businesses, and it's just a short-term thing," Dior Lowhorn said. "I mean hopefully they'll be done in a week like they say it will."

Businesses have said the city was very responsive following the flood, with clean up crews and visits from the city attorney's office helping them to get back on their feet quickly.