After recovering from the fallout of three fires near her 22nd St. location, Los Shucos owner Sofia Keck announced Thursday that she will be shutting down the Guatemalan hot dog joint after a five-year-run in the Mission.
Currently only operating on weekends, Los Shuco’s last day with a storefront open to the public at 3224 1/2 22nd Street will be on June 25. Keck is selling her storefront to interested parties, but not the business, and will continue operating as a catering service seven days a week.
“I don’t have bandwidth to continue,” said Keck, who is currently enrolled in an executive program at Stanford and owns four speciality healthcare clinics in the Bay Area. Los Shucos, or “Dirty Dogs,” are comprised of hearty meat hot dogs topped with a blend of exotic flavors and spices on artisan bread.
Despite a string of setbacks, Keck worked hard to keep her labor of love operational. Hers was one of several small businesses to close following a devastating fire that destroyed the building next door, at 22nd and Mission Streets. Though Los Shucos was not affected by the flames, the storefront was damaged in the aftermath as water from the firefighters’ hoses flooded the restaurant, causing it to shutter for almost a year.
“We have been there for five years but never have been open one year consecutively. It took us 14 months to actually open between change of use and building out the space, then were were open for 10 months before first fire. Those 10 months were fantastic,” said Keck. After reopening in February 2016 following the fire, Keck said that two subsequent fires in the same location again threatened her business, causing it to close for notable periods of time.
“We never recovered after the fire, storefront-wise,” said Keck. “It was easier to get people into our storefront before, but the other two fires made it more complicated.”
During the last year, Keck has reduced the store’s hours and focused largely on catering. Now, she said that she is looking to rent the space out or to host pop-ups. In the mean time, she will keep the space available to be booked for private parties.
“Los Shucos is like my child that needs the most attention and I don’t have time, but I want to see Los Shucos as a brand thrive and thats why I’m keeping it around. I wish there was someone who could adopt it,” said Keck.