San Francisco Blog

"The Mayor of Geary Street," the legendary Bay Area restaurateur Salmar J. Monro, died last week at 86, the victim of prostate cancer. Having owned and operated a dozen restaurants in the area, the Bay Area native was no doubt one tough sonofagun. He was best known for Pam Pam East, his 24-hour New York-style coffee shop on the corner of Geary and Mason. From the Chron:

"Bill lived restaurants morning, noon and night," Lewis said. "His influence was not just in food and day-to-day operations, but in furthering the interests of the industry. He was a very outspoken, direct person - he never fooled around. He was always a gentleman, but did not mind issuing critiques, if necessary. His critique was always right on target, but not always appreciated. If you listened, you were usually helped."

-- Brian Bernbaum