[PLACEHOLDER · Name]
Then · [PLACEHOLDER]
[PLACEHOLDER · 2 sentences — what Brian saw, what they ran, the instinct that made them stand out.]
[PLACEHOLDER · where they are now]
Consulting · San Francisco
Berber
[PLACEHOLDER: 1-sentence thesis for Berber — what the room was, what it asked of the program, what Brian delivered.]
01 · The brief
350-seat North African supper club with cirque.
Turn-key consulting for Berber — a 350-seat North African supper club with live cirque performances in Polk Gulch, San Francisco. Scope covered design, selection, and negotiation for all F&B operational equipment, plus the full beverage program from spec through service.
San Francisco, Polk Gulch. Berber was a large-format supper club — 350 seats, live cirque performances above the dining room, a North African culinary register that carried the room's identity. Turn-key scope meant the full F&B operational engine, not a single slice.
Equipment side: design, selection, and negotiation for every piece of F&B operational hardware in the building. Bar equipment, service equipment, vendor mix, pricing negotiation at 350-seat volume. The room's scale made the equipment program consequential from the start.
Beverage side: full program design — wine list built to work with North African cooking, spirits program, cocktail list developed around the kitchen's pantry of preserved lemon, harissa, ras el hanout, orange-blossom. Classics done sharp; builds that reached into the kitchen without forcing it.
Berber opened and ran for five years, earning Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition in 2021 and 2022. The room closed on March 2, 2024. A five-year run at 350-seat scale with Michelin recognition is the credential the engagement leaves behind.
02 · The work
Equipment and beverage, end to end.
Turn-key at 350 seats meant the equipment package and the beverage program both had to land before open.
01
F&B equipment package
Full operational equipment mix coordinated with the design team. Bar and service equipment, vendor sourcing, pricing negotiation.
350-seat volume discipline from the equipment decisions up.
02
Beverage program
Full program designed against the kitchen's North African pantry.
Cocktail list developed around preserved lemon, harissa, ras el hanout, orange-blossom.
03 · The room
IMG · 4:5Bar, service · [placeholder]
IMG · 4:3Menu detail · [placeholder]
IMG · 4:5Room, late night · [placeholder]
04 · The team
The team Brian built.
Who ran the room. Both are still in the industry.
[PLACEHOLDER · Name]
Then · [PLACEHOLDER]
[PLACEHOLDER · 2 sentences — what they brought, the moves they ran, why their palate mattered.]
[PLACEHOLDER · where they are now]
03 · Recognition
Michelin Bib Gourmand, two consecutive years, plus a five-year SF editorial run.
Berber earned Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition in 2021 and 2022. Press coverage ran from the January 2019 opening through the March 2024 closure and into the 2024 year-end retrospectives.
Berber held Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition across two consecutive California Guide cycles.Read the piece
Glowing basket lanterns, stone-colored walls, and a seductive bar backed by a painting of a camel. Moroccan-inspired cocktails and wine offerings available.Read the piece
The Bedouin Blend — smokey taste on the front end, followed by the orange sweet and bourbon, and after a few seconds, the walnut comes out and plays around in your palette.Read the piece
Owners Tony Garnicki and Borhen Hammami described ‘five impactful years’ and cited pandemic-driven decline in local tourism and event scheduling.Read the piece
Berber closed in March 2024 after encountering difficulties regaining momentum after the pandemic — ‘Berber! Love!’Read the piece
04 · Closed
Five-year run, closed March 2024.
The room closed on March 2, 2024. The site is dark but the brand record stands.
A note from Brian
Five years, 350 seats, two Michelin Bib years. The room closes; the record stays.
Brian Howard
Owner & Founder, Liquid Chef Consulting