On one of the streets leading into South San Francisco a blue sign reads, “The Birthplace of Biotechnology.” The claim is backed up by the model of a DNA spiral built inside the sign’s central circle, by the subheading “Sponsored by Genentech,” and by the long rows of office parks as far as the eye can see.
The most striking feature of the landscape there is the architecture. Gleaming glass and steel buildings dwarf the presence of pedestrians. From time to time, a few of them escape the confines of their workplaces to brave the concrete paths to or from their parked cars.
One of the newest developments in this fortress of biotech companies is The Hangar. Following their collaborations at Foundry & Lux, also in South San Francisco, and The Chandlery in Brisbane, Bon Appétit Management Company and Healthpeak teamed up with Flad Architects to create something less impenetrable, and more welcoming, than many of the nearby buildings. A dining destination and restful stopping place for biotech employees rather than a temporary grab-and-go weigh station.
Described in the press release as a “modern food hall,” The Hangar, despite its off the beaten path address, isn’t a private club. You don’t have to work in biotech to gain admittance. Conceptually, it’s similar to IKEA’s Saluhall in downtown San Francisco, which features two floors of kiosks serving a wide variety of different cuisines. But the comparison is faulty beyond the fact that both locations serve food. Unlike Saluhall, The Hangar has been designed as a hybrid third place. There are several dining and drinking spaces but the fluidity of the interiors also accommodates elements of contemporary office life. Posh ones like the conference rooms equipped with hi-tech presentation tools. They’re a dream setup for AV experts.
Without the influence of Silicon Valley’s live-work campus culture, The Hangar wouldn’t have come into being. It’s an evolutionary step forward and past the vaporous trappings of WeWork. Yes, corporations in adjacent buildings can bring their employees to The Hangar for conferences and meetings. But biotechies can also retreat from their cubicles and offices to eat and relax inside the capacious dining rooms or outside. Upon one’s approach to The Hangar, the patios, upstairs and down, are conspicuous and enticing.
Since it opened to the general public Sept. 30, anyone can pop in to grab a cup of coffee or stop by for lunch. Without traffic, The Hangar is an 8-minute drive away from San Francisco International Airport (SFO). If I were a marketing guru, I’d start an advertising campaign highlighting The Hangar’s attributes as a peaceful place to land for a short layover.
During its initial opening phase, The Hangar has opened four restaurants and a café. Both The Layover and La Ventana are essentially short-term pop-ups. For now, The Layover will serve Korean-inspired dishes while La Ventana features Mexican food. Carrie Pearl, a Bon Appétit district manager who oversees The Hangar, explained how that will change. “Three months down the line The Layover might be Indo-Pakistani, Vietnamese or Thai,” she said. This malleability is meant to be dynamic for the cooks in the kitchen as well as for the diners.
Also located in the downstairs hall: Peak Provisions, the aforementioned café with an espresso bar and morning pastries. The Stack, an updated take on an American diner serving a range of comfort foods from stacked pancakes to stacked cheeseburgers. And The Board, which was originally conceived of as a New York deli, with sandwiches and composed salads. Upstairs, the more formal Camber bar and dining room will open later this month with a California and French-inspired menu. Brandon Clements, the elegantly mustachioed director of operations, will also be managing Camber’s bar program after a lauded career at the Bacchus Management Group.
During our phone interview, Pearl pointed out that all three of Healthpeak and Bon Appétit’s San Mateo County concepts—Foundry & Lux, The Chandlery and The Hangar—pay homage to the history of the region in some fashion. Apart from The Hangar’s adherence to aviation references, Shaun Burner and Franceska Gamez’s series of paintings on the second floor evoke the spirit of Diego Rivera’s San Francisco murals. Their abbreviated but bold color palette of pale yellows, light blues and sunset reds and oranges subtly suggests an inclusive, rather than a jingoistic, pride of place.
The Hangar, 460 Forbes Blvd., South San Francisco. Peak Provisions is open Mon–Fri 7am–3pm; Market Hall open Mon–Fri 11am–2pm. thehangarssf.com
