Golden Gate Meat Co. inside the Ferry Building is closing on Aug. 20, 2022.

When you passed by Golden Gate Meat Co. in the Ferry Building, the refrigerated meat display case was as big as one you might see in a Safeway or Whole Foods. But on Aug. 20, the butcher shop is closing its hallmark store after 20 years. 

Ferry Building general manager Jane Connors confirmed the closure to the San Francisco Chronicle. (SFGATE and the San Francisco Chronicle are both owned by Hearst but operate independently of one another.) Representatives for the meat company and butcher shop did not comment on the shutdown.

“We had hoped to keep Golden Gate Meat in the marketplace,” Connors told the Chronicle. “But we respect the owners’ decision to embark on the next chapter of their lives.” 

Founded in 1977 by the Offenbach family, the butcher store specialized in natural and organic meats from Bay Area meat purveyors, as well as their own branded items. At the Ferry Building location, the company also sold hot plates of prepared foods, such as rotisserie chickens, barbecue ribs and meat pies. The charcuterie section was particularly popular for shoppers who could purchase a salami stick or beef jerky and eat it while perusing the rest of the Ferry Building’s high-end foodie offerings.

When the Ferry Building underwent major renovations in 2003 to transform it into a culinary destination, Golden Gate Meat Co. was one of the first partners to join. But in a place that survives mostly on foot traffic, the butcher shop struggled mightily during the pandemic to sustain business.

The company’s wholesale operations, run out of Richmond and Santa Rosa, still appear to be in operation according to the Chronicle. Only time will tell if another butcher company will take the meat reins at the Ferry Building.

Nico Madrigal-Yankowski is a food reporter for SFGATE. He is a born and bred San Franciscan. Email him tips at nico.madrigal-yankowski@sfgate.com