Sydna Ellen Konstin, a third-generation co-owner of San Francisco’s historic John’s Grill and a member of the family that helped turn the Union Square restaurant into one of the city’s best-known dining landmarks, died June 26 in Athens, Greece, her family announced Thursday. She was 41.
The family said in an obituary that Konstin died of heart failure.
Konstin was born in San Francisco in 1984 and raised in Marin County. She attended Tamalpais High School and later graduated from the University of San Francisco.
Her family’s restaurant, at 63 Ellis St., has been part of downtown San Francisco since 1908 and is known for its connection to Dashiell Hammett’s “The Maltese Falcon.” The restaurant was designated a Literary Landmark in 1997 for its cameo in the novel.
Konstin’s grandfather Gus Konstin bought John’s Grill with his wife, Sydna Pantoja Konstin, in the late 1960s.
The elder Sydna Konstin helped reshape the restaurant and expand its appeal, while Gus Konstin became one of San Francisco’s best-known restaurateurs. The restaurant later passed to their son, John Konstin.
Sydna Ellen Konstin, who was named after her grandmother, worked at the hostess stand and behind the bar, according to her family. In recent years, she lived in Athens, where she worked in real estate, but returned often to San Francisco and remained connected to the family business.
“She made every room feel lighter,” her brother, John Konstin Jr., said in a statement. “She brought people together and made everyone feel better just by being there.”
Konstin is survived by her parents, John and Athena Konstin; her brother, John Konstin Jr., and his fiancée, Lyndsey; and two nieces.
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This article originally published at Sydna Konstin, third-generation owner of John’s Grill in San Francisco, dies at 41.