By Molly Kish //

Public Works – San Francisco

As the Bay Area continues to move into the least restrictive of COVID-19 tiers, many SF music venues remain optimistic for the months ahead. Public Works, much like The Midway, is another multifaceted space that has taken the outdoor approach for its event programming, converting an adjacent alleyway into a DIY lounge that also offers its own dining experience.

Continuing our “Doors Open” coverage of the Bay Area music and entertainment scene, we spoke with Public Works general manager Rob Casanovas to see how he and his team have been creatively adjusting the past year to survive the pandemic.

“Public Works is a very community-oriented venue. It does a very good job at trying to be as inclusive as possible and really putting that in the forefront in terms of how we book, present ourselves and the types of organizations we bring in and try to help out. It doesn’t really matter how big or small a promoter is, we’re really just trying to lay the fertile ground for them to grow.” – Rob Casanovas, General Manager

Walking into the SOMA venue during the morning hours feels more like you’re entering an art collective in the middle of a renovation. Naturally lit by giant skylights, Public Works’ main room is filled with houseplants, construction and stage equipment that otherwise would be tucked away or in use during normal operating hours.

Casanovas apologizes for the state of things, explaining that aside from being in the middle of internal restructuring and hiring back many original staff members, he has been working on several projects to retrofit the venue’s interior. But even after being employed at both 111 Minna Gallery and Mezzanine, Casanovas wasn’t sure if he was even ready to jump back into things when Public Works hired him to be its new GM in September.

“COVID wiped out the staff completely. When I came in, there was the bar manager and owner and that was it. When it happened we kind of kept people around for like two months, thinking that was going to be it and that we’d get back into it in June (2020). Then after going into a COVID depression for a bit, I got a phone call that Public Works was trying to do an outdoor thing and they needed somebody to run it. I was like ‘Alright, I could do that for a little bit.’ I wasn’t really ready to get back into the nightlife right away, after Mezzanine … I was like ‘I don’t know if I really want those hours anymore’ and I was really more interested in trying to help out with the art scene up here. But then I came in and I met Jeff the owner and he was just super rad. He cares about the community and really cares about the arts in the city, which was a big soft spot for me.”

Located at the foot of a dead-end alleyway, Public Works is in a unique location to capitalize on the “shared spaces” legislation that Mayor London Breed put into effect on March 16th. As part of SF’s crisis response strategy to sustain the locally owned small-business sector, the venue was able to transition into an outdoor dining experience by acquiring a “Just Add Music (JAM)” permit that allows for arts and culture activities to be the primary use of the space.

“When I came in September, we were like ‘Let’s try to do this outdoor thing,’ and the first week, it was absolutely terrifying. That weekend there were Friday and Saturday shows, and at points I literally had my hands on my head staring and thinking, ‘How am I going to control these people?'”

Facing the ever-changing entertainment regulations and hearing about other failed, early-pandemic events, Public Works made sure to tread very lightly in cooperation with COVID-19 guidelines and local municipalities. Though the venue doesn’t have an attached kitchen or commissary, it enlisted local pop-ups and food trucks while staffing servers and bartenders to ensure that all food service was run legally and seamlessly.

“The whole switching to outdoor dining wasn’t the hardest, but it was just adding another cog to the wheel. Making sure everyone remained distant, had a meal and taking the time to explain all the new rules to everyone. Like in order for this to happen it needs to be a dining experience. Explaining that to some people who aren’t used to it was kind of difficult. But I would take the time to really break it down for them and let them know that we’re not breaking the bank here. Whatever the food vendors sold, they took home — they made all their money. We’re literally trying to run this to cover operations, and if we can make an extra $500-1,000 to put towards rent, then we’re stoked.

Eventually people started getting it, knowing that ultimately we wanted to bring value to what we’re doing. We weren’t just trying to throw a DJ out there with some tables and call it a day. I mean, we load everything in and out, every single night. We put out all the plants, tables, decor, stanchions … we built and painted the palettes! We’re really trying to transform that alleyway, so that it has a good vibe.”

Aside from having to change their business model and battling undeterminable factors such as rising COVID-19 rates and Bay Area weather, Casanovas says the venue’s main concern throughout the past year was making sure that their guests’ comfort levels were respected and maintained.

“What really changed for us was how we approach putting on events and take into account everyone’s comfortability levels. The spectrum of who believes in COVID and who cares about masks, that all exists. But in order to throw an event you have to be able to make sure that it’s comfortable for everybody and be able to enforce the rules in a very manageable and happy way. The service-industry aspect really starts ringing true a lot more. When we’re in a nightclub, not saying you can just be an asshole to somebody, but you have to be way more gentle now.

If me putting on a mask makes someone else comfortable then I’m good with doing it. That’s kind of where we’re at. Until they say that we don’t have to wear them anymore, at Public Works if you’re standing then you have to wear a mask. Mask on, dance on! We have people that will book like three tables, so of course they’re going to want to hang out. All we say is to make sure that you have the correct amount of people at your table who can physically sit there. Just don’t be in a circle, masks off, chopping it up. Most everybody that comes by is super receptive and really nice and understanding. The return really is how grateful everybody is. Everyone sees the work that we put in, and it’s nice. It’s fun to even interact with people again, so it’s all worth it.”

With COVID-19 restrictions starting to ease up in California this spring, Casanovas says it’s pretty much full steam ahead from this point on. Although the transition has been nerve-wracking, tireless and even a bit overwhelming at times, he and his crew are beyond excited for the endless possibilities in the months to come.

As we walk through the building, Casanovas points out the various projects he’s working on and you can physically see his face light up when explaining what he envisions as the end result. He mentions how he looks forward to transforming the space, bringing in new types of talent and using this moment as a jumping-off point to expand upon Public Works’ identity as a communal space and venue.

“Honestly we feel like we have a pretty big responsibility right now. Our team is getting rebuilt and we’re kind of seeing who wants to be a part of it. I mean how many people get to come out of a pandemic and usher in a new scene? It’s gonna be crazy.

We really wanted to do something to keep it alive and really get ground level with the people who want to keep doing stuff. To see who’s out there and who wants to play! Right now we’re doing this for scraps, but we ARE doing it. Music has always been up in the forefront and everything else always trailed in the back, so now we’re really trying to close that gap. We really want to come out a lot more art forward and are going to try and bring in a lot more visual and theatrical elements. We’re talking about exactly what we can do to kind of give a little more. I don’t want to come back and just be a DJ in a room and like that’s it.

The only reason we are in this business is to throw a party and make sure that everybody can kind of let loose and bring the chill back into the world really. That’s what we’re really trying to think about now. Like how do we do this and in the right way.”

Check out Public Works’ event calendar for tickets here.

DOORS OPEN: MORE COVERAGE HERE