Economy
How San Francisco Is Making Small Businesses More Accessible
The government is offering $10,000 grants amid a wave of lawsuits challenging disability access.
Businesses in San Francisco’s Chinatown are getting help with the expense of making their businesses accessible.
Photographer: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Nearly 40 years ago, Paul Geffner opened Escape from New York Pizza in San Francisco and expanded to five restaurants across the city. But life ground to a halt during the Covid-19 pandemic. “It was an extinction event for small business,” said Geffner.
Only two of his pizzerias survive today. On top of myriad challenges facing owners — including inflation, blocked supply chains and labor shortages — he received another blow in 2021: a lawsuit for accessibility violations.