Mayor Edwin M. Lee today launched the second year of the Shop & Dine in the 49 initiative challenging residents to do all their shopping and dining within the 49 square miles of San Francisco this holiday season and all year long. The launch is based upon the success of the pilot program for Shop & Dine in the 49 last Fall.

“Each of us can make a big difference in keeping our City’s local businesses vibrant and successful by choosing to eat and shop local, and I challenge our residents and businesses to shop and dine in the 49,” said Mayor Lee. “Small businesses are the backbone of our strong local economy, adding unique character to our City and enlivening our diverse neighborhoods while employing approximately 326,000 residents. When we invest in our local businesses, we are investing in our City’s success, and we can ensure our City’s rising prosperity benefits every single San Franciscan.”

San Francisco has over 90,000 registered businesses including more than 7,700 restaurants, cafes, food stores, and beverage establishments. A one percent increase in spending at our local restaurants and retailers would generate an additional $100 million for the local San Francisco economy. Shopping local creates 57 jobs for every $10 million in consumer spending, according to Advocates for Independent Business (AIB), a coalition of trade associations and other organizations that represent locally owned, independent businesses serving a consumer market.

Shop & Dine in the 49 is a public-private partnership developed by the Mayor’s Office with the Office of Economic and Workforce Development, Shop Small and Small Business Saturday, and the Office of Small Business in partnership with local business groups including SF Travel, SF Made, Hotel Council, Committee on Jobs, Golden Gate Restaurant Association, SF Chamber of Commerce, the Council of District Merchants, San Francisco Locally Owned Merchants Alliance, sf.citi and the Labor Alliance.

“San Francisco’s Small Business Commission works to promote and protect the City’s small businesses. We’re thrilled that the City and our business community are working together to launch a broad-based buy local campaign to encourage residents and businesses alike to invest in San Francisco,” said Mark Dwight, President of the Small Business Commission, founder of SFMade, and CEO of Rickshaw Bagworks. “Shop and Dine in the 49 encourages locals to direct their spending to the more than 90,000 local small businesses, thereby contributing to their survival and success for years to come.”

Shop & Dine in the 49 encourages consumers to buy local and encourages local businesses to support one another. It also challenges large companies to flex their purchasing power and invest in locally made and grown products, services, and other goods from smaller businesses with SF Biz Connect. Last month, 125 attendees representing 55 large and small companies across the City came together to share needs and ideas for the upcoming holidays including caterers, venues, event planners, and gift ideas. For more information, go to: sfbizconnect.com.

“It’s encouraging to see Mayor Lee, the City, and businesses large and small lining up behind the Shop Local movement. Consumers vote for their preferred retail landscape with every purchase, and shopping at locally owned, independent businesses keeps a much higher percentage of every dollar spent in the local economy. Local businesses add so much to San Francisco's economy, vitality, diversity, and tourist appeal, so together with Mayor Lee, I challenge everyone to Shop Local First this holiday season, and always,” said Pete Mulvihill, co-owner of Green Apple Books and board member of the San Francisco Locally Owned Merchants Alliance.

Residents, visitors, and businesses can participate in the Shop & Dine in the 49 campaign in the following ways:

For Residents and Visitors:

• Take the Shop & Dine in the 49 challenge and shop local this holiday season;
• Submit a picture of you, your friends or family shopping at your favorite local business on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook and tag with #shopdine49;
• Visit shopdine49.com for information on where residents and visitors can shop and dine during the
• holiday season; and
• Look for the Shop & Dine in the 49 decal in local store windows throughout San Francisco.

For Small Businesses:

• Contact your merchant association or Community Benefit District to get your Shop & Dine in the 49 window decal or contact the Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD) at oewd@sfgov.org;
• Go to shopdine49.com and download the merchant toolkit, which has prepopulated social media posts, post cards, posters, and flyers as well as templates for businesses to send to employees; and
• Submit a picture of your local business with your Shop & Dine in the 49 decal on Twitter, Instagram, and or Facebook and tag with #shopdine49.

This year, Small Business Saturday is celebrated on Saturday, November 28th, and Mayor Lee is encouraging residents of San Franciscans to visit and shop at all their favorite local small businesses. For more information, go to: shopdine49.com.

“The West Portal corridor is a thriving neighborhood where old and new San Francisco come together. It offers a charming mix of restaurants, bars, spas, salons, entertainment, retail, fitness and a diverse of range of services for residents and visitors alike,” said West Portal Merchants Association President Deidre Von Rock-Ricci. “West Portal is conveniently nestled at the southern edge of the hills in central San Francisco, easily accessed by transit, bike, car and pedestrians. We welcome families to shop, dine and experience West Portal and help keep spending within our community. We extend a warm invitation to our community Snow Day this Saturday, November 28th from 12-5 p.m. on West Portal Avenue between Ulloa and Vicente, for a vibrant kick off to our holiday season.”

Mayor Lee also announced a holiday construction moratorium downtown and on major commercial corridors where 50 percent of the frontage is devoted to business. The routine moratorium reduces disruption and impacts to commercial businesses and shoppers, making it more convenient for residents to travel to local businesses. Beginning Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 26th, construction projects that impact the roads and traffic at high pedestrian and vehicular corridors will stop between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. Contractors will resume normal work and construction hours after the New Year. The moratorium is imposed on a yearly basis by the Municipal Transportation Agency and applies to blocks in the central downtown shopping districts and elsewhere in the City where more than half of its properties are business establishments. Emergencies and urgent matters are excluded from this moratorium.