Kevin Truong

San Francisco

Business Editor at The San Francisco Standard

I'm the business editor @SFStandard. You can reach me at [email protected]. DMs open and off the record.

Articles

Fancy coffee machine maker Fellow crushed by Trump tariff chaos

6 days ago | sfstandard.com | Kevin Truong

The new rules for navigating global trade chaos? Keep calm, be flexible, and download Truth Social. Jake Miller knew it was bad when his company was forced to sign up for Truth Social. The CEO and founder of Fellow, a locally grown business that makes high-end coffee products (think: sleek gooseneck kettles and precision scales), had mercifully been able to stay out of social media trolling and focus on building his company.
Inside the strike that nearly tore Urban Ore apart

1 week ago | sfstandard.com | Kevin Truong

A 40-day long strike at Urban Ore put the business on the brink and escalated tension at the company. | Source: Jungho Kim for The StandardDriving into Urban Ore’s parking lot last weekend, it was hard to miss the hand-painted “20% off Everything” sign hanging over the main entrance. It was still harder to miss the group of protesters posted up out front.
Empty SF office tower sells for $113M in largest deal this year

3 weeks ago | sfstandard.com | Kevin Truong

The new owners want to renovate the vacant property to cash in on the AI wave. A 25-story SoMa office tower adjacent to the eastern end of Salesforce Park has been sold for $113 million. A partnership between San Francisco developer DivcoWest and investor Blackstone Real Estate purchased the vacant 420,000-square-foot property at 300 Howard St. (formerly known as 199 Fremont) with plans to upgrade it to attract AI tenants.
JPMorganChase expands SF HQ amid larger real estate pullback

3 weeks ago | sfstandard.com | Kevin Truong

The country's largest bank is touting new SF leases, but it has dumped much more space than it's taking on. JPMorgan Chase, the country’s largest bank, announced a major modernization and expansion of its San Francisco headquarters, where it intends to accommodate some 1,600 employees. The bank will lease an additional 65,000 square feet in the 31-story tower at 560 Mission St., known colloquially as the JPMorgan Chase Building. The deal will bring its total occupancy to 280,000 square feet.
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie's 100-day progress report

1 month ago | sfstandard.com | Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez |David Sjostedt |Jonah Owen Lamb |Kevin Truong

By Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez, David Sjostedt, Jonah Owen Lamb, Kevin Truong, and Han LiPublished Apr. 14, 2025 • 6:00amIn politics, 100 days can seem like an eternity — has it really been only three months since Trump took office again? — or a blink. Assessing a mayor’s — or president’s — tenure at the 100-day mark is a convention, but an imperfect one, an exercise in judging beginnings without knowledge of the endings.
Inside the efforts to save Steph Curry’s cancelled office project

1 month ago | sfstandard.com | Kevin Truong |Kevin Nguyen |Kevin Nguyễn

When a developer is a world-famous celebrity, bargaining with labor becomes a whole new game. The news that Stephen Curry wanted to pursue his post-NBA career in San Francisco rather than hightailing it to New York or Los Angeles was a much-needed win in a city struggling to find its groove again.
Steph Curry kills his SF office project over dispute with local union

1 month ago | sfstandard.com | Kevin Nguyen |Kevin Nguyễn |Kevin Truong

The Warriors superstar was about to demolish a structure for a new office for his burgeoning business empire. Less than a month after announcing it was ready to build a new office building in San Francisco, Thirty Ink — a collection of Stephen Curry’s eight businesses and 13 entities — said the project is cancelled because of a dispute with a local carpenter’s union.
Trump tariffs will hit San Francisco where it hurts: Guac and margs

2 months ago | sfstandard.com | Tomoki Chien |Kevin Truong

Tequila and avocados from Mexico are about to get a lot more expensive — and restaurant tabs will rise accordingly. It is a mercurial supply chain prone to wild price fluctuations based on climate patterns and local market conditions. But a new geopolitical element is making matters even more difficult.
Orphan Andy’s diner goes up for sale for $250K

2 months ago | sfstandard.com | Kevin Truong

Orphan Andy’s, with its damn good tuna melts, is up for sale. Orphan Andy’s — the storied Castro diner that has long been a refuge for stumbling clubgoers at the end of the boozy night out — has been publicly listed for sale. Known for its round-the-clock breakfast options and chicken-fried steak drenched in a pool of gravy, Orphan Andy’s is being offered for $250,000. The diner lists $165,600 in average monthly revenue for 2024. “That’s what we’re here for.
Presidio businesses respond to Trump’s attack on historic park

2 months ago | sfstandard.com | Kevin Truong |Jillian D’Onfro

Rogelio Colindres, an immigrant from El Salvador, took over the Acre Cafe in the Presidio in 2012. Colindres renamed the shop, located in what was the pharmacy of a former Army hospital, and revamped the menu. In more than 10 years running Cafe RX, he has served breakfast and lunch to office workers and tourists taking in the Presidio’s verdant expanse.