Silver Crest Donut Shop Closes After 50 Years in SF

The neon sign outside Silver Crest Donut Shop in San Francisco says the 24-hour restaurant never closes. Now, it appears to be closed for good.

The Chronicle confirmed Tuesday that the old diner at 340 Bayshore Blvd. is closed and its windows are boarded up. The owner of neighboring business JR Seafood said Silver Crest’s windows were boarded up Monday.

JR Seafood owner Raul, who declined to give his last name, complained about vandalism in the Bayshore Area neighborhood known as Apparel City, which borders Bernal Heights. He pointed to a bullet hole in his store’s awning that he said had been there for two years. Less than 24 hours after Silver Crest’s windows were boarded up, the signs were covered in graffiti.

It’s unclear when the restaurant originally opened, but Silver Crest owners George and Nina Giavris purchased the restaurant in 1970. Inside the building, the owners served plate after plate of eggs and bacon, sandwiches and donuts.

The Chronicle attempted to contact a relative of the owners but did not immediately receive a response.

Precinct 9 Supervisor Hillary Ronen had not heard any word about a closure, but said if true it would be “a sad end of an era.”

The weathered building, once a gas station and later a convenience store, was home to a pool table and several pinball machines. The interior looked almost intact from its mid-century heyday, with a wood-paneled counter above ruby-red stools. A menu with painted prices hung above the kitchen window.

A Los Angeles Times article published in December detailed the challenges owners George and Nina Giavris faced in keeping the restaurant open for decades, through the departure of the textile industry from the Apparel City neighborhood in the 1970s and the changing landscape in the 2000s. Doughnuts and dinner service have not been available since August of last year, when George Giavris suffered a back injury that left him in a wheelchair, the Times reported.

Esther Mobley contributed to this report.