A former startup CFO explains why the real investment isn’t the beer. It’s the real estate.
When San Francisco’s famous craft beer bar Toronado was listed for $1,799,000 in 2025, no one expected its new owner to be a longtime regular. Here’s how Bill Lewis and his brother-in-law ended up in charge of their very own Cheers, and what they’ve learned so far.
Q: What made you decide to buy this bar? “Toronado was the first place I’d ever had a Belgian beer back when I’d never even heard what that was. It’s not a dive or upscale, but it has a lot of character. Stickers and beer signs cover the walls. There’s always punk rock or metal playing on the jukebox. It’s very San Francisco weird and very analog; no one’s sitting on their phones, people talk to each other. At the time, I was CFO of a startup that was getting acquired and wouldn’t keep me around, so I was transitioning and had time to spend on this.”
Q: How was your offer received? “I wasn’t the richest offer; I was third in line. The first buyer got a lot of bad press with plans to launch a YouTube channel and a crypto coin called Toronado Cash..RSK: Because so many of us have had this idea cross our mind....and luckily most of it didn't act on it. But I did go in with several partners to form a restaurant group.....and keep my nose out of the day to day operations and mitigate risk.
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- - Volume: 26 - WEEK: 39 Date: 9/22/2026 2:52:01 PM -