Berkeley's Grégoire Expands, Bringing Gourmet Sandwiches to San Francisco's Inner Sunset

Berkeley’s 23-year-old gourmet sandwich shop Grégoire is crossing the bay, with its first San Francisco outpost slated to open in the Inner Sunset as early as November. The eatery has secured the long-vacant corner space at 9th Avenue and Irving Street previously occupied by Jamba Juice, adding to a run of new food and retail tenants in the neighborhood. Founder and chef Grégoire Jacquet, who launched the 500-square-foot Berkeley original in 2002, is expanding through franchising. Menu staples—most notably the ping-pong-ball-sized, golden potato puffs packaged in patented orange octagon boxes—will be prepared at a central kitchen in Emeryville to keep quality consistent across locations. Franchisees will assemble sandwiches and salads on-site, a model Jacquet says allows growth without compromising standards. The move gives the French-born chef a long-desired footprint in San Francisco and underscores renewed small-business momentum in the Inner Sunset. Since March, the corridor has welcomed a French bistro, an organic grocery and an additional salad chain outlet, signaling steady demand for fast-casual concepts as the city’s western neighborhoods rebound from the pandemic slowdown.