John's Grill Cancels Its Free Election Day Lunch to Honor Late Co-Owner
The free, nonpartisan Election Day block party at John's Grill on Ellis Street won't happen this year. The family is honoring co-owner Sydna Konstin, who died in June. The restaurant stays open.
By the Bay Area Brief staff · Edited by Seamus McKenna · · 2 min read
San Francisco City Hall and Civic Center at sunset. Photo: tux0racer / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (cropped, resized and color-graded). Archive photo of the area; not a photo of the events in this story.
John's Grill has canceled its free Election Day lunch and block party for the Nov. 3 election to honor co-owner Sydna Konstin, who died over the summer in Greece, Bay City News reported via SFGATE.
Her brother and business partner, John Konstin Jr., said the event will return in the future. "It will be good for us to pause and take a moment and reflect on what an enormous void she's left," he said. The restaurant will still be open for regular service.
About the tradition
The party, co-hosted with former Mayor Willie Brown, took over Ellis Street with music and free food. Guests were simply asked to vote.
About 6,000 people came in 2024, according to family spokesperson Lee Housekeeper.
The SF Standard described the 2024 event, where voters could get a free lunch at the historic 1908 restaurant.
Sydna Konstin died of heart failure in June at 41, according to her brother.
Sources
This article is an original summary based on the following reporting. We encourage readers to visit the original sources for full coverage.
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