The St. Francis Fountain offers hearty breakfasts, top-rated hamburgers, and classic soda fountain desserts. It was founded in 1918 by James Christakes, an immigrant from Sparta, Greece. It has been in continuous operation in its present location ever since. Three generations of the Christakes family ran the St Francis as a confectionary, ice cream parlor, and lunch counter until 2000.
In 2002, the current owners, Peter Hood and Levon Kazarian, purchased the business and restored the beautiful but dilapidated 1948 dining room and installed a full service kitchen in order to expand and improve the food offerings. Changing the focus from old-fashioned confectionary to updated diner, the St Francis Fountain is once again the living, bustling neighborhood anchor that it was in its heyday.
In April, 2014, Zippy stopped in to the St. Francis Fountain to sing some of his favorite song, such as, "I left my pants in San Francisco". Zippy, born in San Francisco, said he would come home to San Francisco when the DotCom start-up disappear!!
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