{"id":474674,"date":"2026-09-24T23:22:22","date_gmt":"2026-09-24T23:22:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/474674\/"},"modified":"2026-09-24T23:22:22","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T23:22:22","slug":"popular-sf-bakery-cancels-2nd-location-over-city-rules","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/474674\/","title":{"rendered":"Popular SF bakery cancels 2nd location over city rules"},"content":{"rendered":"

San Franciscans have been eagerly awaiting<\/a> the expansion of a wildly popular bakery \u2014 but the owner announced Wednesday that those plans have been crushed by the city\u2019s bizarre permitting rules.<\/p>\n

Sophie Smith, who owns Butter & Crumble, said on social media she was \u201cso disappointed\u201d to share the news that her dream of opening up a second location at 301 Union Street is now canceled.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am heartbroken to announce that an unexpected roadblock has forced me to walk away from that space,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was crushing to share this news with my employees, who were planning the next steps of their careers at The Cake Shop.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Sophie Smith, owner of San Francisco cake shop Butter & Crumble, is pictured. Smith claims she was forced to cancel plans for a commercial space after getting bogged down by a permitting issue. Instagram\/@sophiesmith47<\/p>\n

Since opening its first brick-and-mortar shop<\/a> in 2023, Butter & Crumble has won fans for its mouthwatering pastries, cakes and \u201ccruffins\u201d \u2014 a mash-up of muffins and croissants that can attract long lines at its current location near Fisherman\u2019s Wharf. <\/p>\n

In February, the business announced plans for a second location focused on cakes.<\/p>\n

Smith said she spent a year and countless hours planning for the shop, along with tens of thousands of dollars on architects, preliminary construction investigations and vintage plate ware. She trained team members for new management roles at the 1800-square foot commercial space.<\/p>\n

Legislation by city Supervisor Danny Sauter was intended to help pave the way for the location to become a cake shop, and Smith signed the lease in February.<\/p>\n

But a problem emerged: the space was actually two different lots owned by the same landlord.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe problems this creates are potentially massive, as you cannot just join two buildings for a commercial use like mine,\u201d she said, \u201cwithout new rollup doors, two separate evacuation routes and new fire sprinklers on both sides of the building, not to mention zoning issues.\u201d<\/p>\n

Butter & Crumble, a San Francisco cake shop, has canceled plans for a commercial space due to a permitting issue. Instagram\/@butter.and.crumble<\/p>\n

She said she was assured by the landlord and a city department that because the two-lot location had long been used as one space, she could plow forward. So she did.<\/p>\n

However, in July, the city Department of Building Inspection<\/a> discovered that a previous permit on that site showed a wall separating the two lots with no record of it being removed. That error threw the whole project into peril.<\/p>\n

Sophie Smith, owner of the San Francisco cake shop Butter & Crumble, is pictured. Smith says the shop has been forced to cancel plans for a massive commercial space after getting bogged down by a permitting issue. Instagram\/@sophiesmith47<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a wall removed at some point when it probably shouldn\u2019t have been,\u201d Sauter told the San Francisco Chronicle<\/a>, and that raised safety concerns. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s such a unique set of circumstances and also quite unique to that space,\u201d he added. \u201cAt the end of the day, it\u2019s really sad.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sophie Smith, owner of San Francisco cake shop Butter & Crumble. Instagram\/@sophiesmith47<\/p>\n

Smith\u2019s attempts to open up a new shop come as San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie has pushed to revitalize the city.<\/a> He had worked to streamline<\/a> the city\u2019s permitting process and make changes to how city departments coordinate.<\/p>\n

San Francisco\u2019s Office of Small Business told the Chronicle in a statement that it\u2019s \u201csorry for the setback Sophie and the team experienced with this space,\u201d and it \u201cwill continue to support them as they navigate their next steps.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Post reached out to the building inspection department for comment.<\/p>\n

Now, Smith said she\u2019s refocusing her attention on her existing location, but she hasn\u2019t given up on a second location. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe Cake Shop became such a real tangible dream for me\u2026and I know it\u2019s not lost,\u201d she said. \u201cI know we will make this happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

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