The "Acre" Origin Story
It started In 1990 with the opening of The Slow Club, our first restaurant—named by Michael Bauer, renowned Bay Area food critic, as one of the top most important Bay Area restaurants of the last 30 years. We focused on outstanding cooking and the use of fresh, local, and seasonal ingredients. Customers loved it. We learned that doing things better makes a big difference.
We went on to create and manage many on-site restaurants and concessions in business centers including The San Francisco Film Center and The Exploratorium.
In 2004, while operating Acre Café in The Thoreau Center For Sustainability (Presidio), we were asked to be the food service provider at The Bay School of San Francisco. We added Cathedral School for Boys (2006), Town School for Boys (2009), Katherine Delmar Burke School (2011 - 2023), The Hamlin School (2017 - 2022), and Convent & Stuart Hall (2023).
The Acre Principles
Create delicious food from scratch
Value feedback from our customers
Buy from local growers and purveyors
Keep our food affordable without compromising quality
Respect the environment by following practices that embrace sustainability
Create aesthetically pleasing environments where dining fosters community
Care for our eaters by using only the best healthy, organic ingredients - free from pesticides, chemicals, hormones, and antibiotics
Value our employees by offering meaningful work, a living wage, and health benefits
TRUST
To date, we have brought great tasting food and responsible management to over five million customers. Our success and continued growth is a result of the satisfaction and happiness of those we serve daily.