SF's We Be Sushi Closes Doors

The original We Be Sushi on Valencia at 22nd Street, a Mission District fixture for 36 years, served its last meal on February 29, 2024. The owner and chef, Andy Tonozuka, cited slow business and his own health, including sciatic nerve pain at the age of 74, as the primary reasons for the closure. The final location at 538 Valencia Street shuttered in February 2026, with the 76-year-old Tonozuka expressing a sense of relief in his decision to retire. Before it was a beloved local spot, the restaurant had a brush with a corporate giant. Originally slated to open as "McSushi" in 1987, a threatened lawsuit from McDonald's prompted a last-minute name change. Tonozuka turned to the community for suggestions, posting a sign in the window, and "We Be Sushi" was chosen from over 200 submissions. At its peak, We Be Sushi boasted five locations across San Francisco. The original location was a small, popular restaurant that, according to Tonozuka, enabled him to buy a house and send his children to university. Over the years, the customer base shifted, and the pandemic led to a 20-month closure of the original spot. The closure is one of many in San Francisco's challenging restaurant landscape, which has seen numerous establishments shut their doors due to economic pressures, post-pandemic recovery issues, and rising operational costs. The Valencia Street corridor, in particular, has seen a number of small business closures. For a time, the We Be Sushi at 538 Valencia remained open, with Tonozuka planning to teach the chefs there. The contents of the original restaurant at 1071 Valencia St. were put up for sale for $80,000, which included the lease and all items inside, though the "We Be Sushi" name and branding were not for sale. Tonozuka even mentioned that if there were no buyers, he might have asked someone from his other location to look after it. The iconic sign from the final location, which advertised sushi “Like Mom Used to Make,” was gifted to a loyal customer who owns a bar.