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Gizela Ho signs lease for debut restaurant Good Morning 96 in Upper Fillmore

Gizela Ho signs lease for debut restaurant Good Morning 96 in Upper Fillmore

Money Moves San Francisco, CA local

The former Rich Table chef de cuisine takes over the Ten-Ichi space and targets a mid-2027 opening in Neil Mehta's Fillmore revival.

October 22nd, 2026: Lease signed for Good Morning 96

Overview

Updated Oct 24

Gizela Ho signed a lease for her debut restaurant, Good Morning 96, at 2235 Fillmore St., the former Ten-Ichi space. She is targeting a 2027 opening, with design and construction teams planning for midyear, the San Francisco Standard reported on Oct. 22.

The lease puts a chef-driven restaurant inside Neil Mehta's $100 million Upper Fillmore Revitalization Project; Ten-Ichi closed in 2024 after Mehta evicted it and sat vacant until Ho signed. Ho plans a complete renovation of the 2,200-square-foot space, moving the kitchen to the front and adding a mezzanine, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Her menu includes salted duck egg soufflés, stuffed chicken wings and Dungeness crab salad.

Why it matters

Whether Neil Mehta's $100 million bet can turn the Upper Fillmore back into a dining destination.

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Key Indicators

$100M
Upper Fillmore investment
Neil Mehta's funding for the neighborhood revitalization project
4
Announced restaurants
Good Morning 96, Monami, Khao Soi Ya and Bar Oliver
40%
Funding secured
Share of Good Morning 96's capital raised as of April 2026
Mid-2027
Opening target
Window reported by Made by Magazine and the San Francisco Standard

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People Involved

GH
Gizela Ho
Chef-owner, Good Morning 96
Signed lease for Good Morning 96; plans a mid-2027 opening
 Evan Rich
Evan Rich
Chef and co-owner of Rich Table
Ho's former boss; helped her see potential in the space
 Neil Mehta
Neil Mehta
Billionaire investor and property owner
Owns the building at 2235 Fillmore St.; funding the Upper Fillmore Revitalization Project

Organizations Involved

GM
Good Morning 96
Restaurant (planned)
In development; lease signed October 2026; mid-2027 opening planned

Gizela Ho's debut restaurant at 2235 Fillmore St., serving California cuisine shaped by global influences.
Rich Table
Rich Table
Restaurant
Still operating in San Francisco

Market-driven San Francisco restaurant where Ho worked for more than a decade.
Upper Fillmore Revitalization Project
Upper Fillmore Revitalization Project
Neighborhood development initiative
Ongoing; Good Morning 96 is one of several announced restaurant tenants

A $100 million effort funded by Neil Mehta to transform the Upper Fillmore corridor into a destination.
TI
Ten-Ichi
Restaurant (closed)
Closed in 2024 after an eviction by landlord Neil Mehta

Longtime Japanese restaurant at 2235 Fillmore St. that closed in 2024 after an eviction by Neil Mehta.

Timeline

2024 October 2026

6 events Latest: October 22nd, 2026 · 3 weeks ago
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. Lease signed for Good Morning 96

    Latest Milestone

    Ho signs a lease for 2235 Fillmore St., the former Ten-Ichi space. The restaurant is expected to open next year.

  2. Ho cooks collaboration dinner at Bacchus Wine Bar

    Event

    Good Morning 96 joins Hensel West for a collaboration dinner at Bacchus Wine Bar in San Francisco.

  3. Sold-out collaboration dinner

    Event

    Ho serves scallop- and shrimp-stuffed chicken wings at a dinner with Nisei and Angler; the dish sells out and later anchors her opening menu.

  4. Good Morning 96 concept revealed

    Announcement

    The San Francisco Standard reports Ho's plans for a Hong Kong cafe-inspired restaurant targeting a mid-2027 opening, with about 40% of funding secured.

  5. Ho leaves Rich Table

    Departure

    Gizela Ho departs Rich Table after more than a decade to open her own restaurant.

  6. Ten-Ichi closes after eviction

    Closure

    Japanese restaurant Ten-Ichi closed at 2235 Fillmore St. after an eviction by Neil Mehta, who had bought the building.

Scenarios

1

Good Morning 96 opens in 2027

Likely Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: The San Francisco Standard (design and construction teams told Ho to plan for a midyear opening)

Ho's design and construction teams told her to plan for a midyear 2027 opening, and the lease is signed. The renovation involves adding a mezzanine for private dining and opening up the kitchen. If construction stays on track, Good Morning 96 opens around the middle of 2027.

2

Opening pushed to 2028

Possible Resolves by End of 2028

Discussed by: Ho herself (has said she's willing to be patient)

The renovation is extensive, and Ho has said she wants Good Morning 96 to last 30 years. In April 2026, she had about 40% of the funding needed. If permits, construction, or financing hit delays, the opening could slip into 2028.

3

Upper Fillmore revival lineup fills out

Likely Resolves by Q2 2028

Discussed by: San Francisco Chronicle (via Yahoo News, listing announced restaurants)

Beyond Good Morning 96, the revitalization has announced a Thai curry-and-noodle spot from Pim Techamuanvivit, a steakhouse from the owners of Ssal, and an outpost of New York's Bar Oliver. If these all open, the Upper Fillmore gains a cluster of chef-driven restaurants in the span of about two years. The Clay Theater restoration is also part of the project.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

1940s-1960s

The Fillmore's jazz era (1940s-1960s)

Fillmore Street was the center of San Francisco's Black cultural scene in the mid-20th century. Jazz clubs and venues drew national performers, earning the corridor the nickname 'Harlem of the West.'

Then

Urban renewal in the 1960s displaced much of the neighborhood's population and closed many clubs.

Now

The corridor went through decades of decline before the current revitalization effort.

Why this matters now

The Upper Fillmore's revival is an attempt to restore the corridor as a cultural destination, a role it last held in the mid-1900s.

2024

Ten-Ichi's closure (2024)

Ten-Ichi, a longtime Japanese restaurant at 2235 Fillmore St., closed in 2024 after an eviction by billionaire investor Neil Mehta, who had bought its building. The closure was part of a wave of turnover as Mehta acquired multiple properties on the block.

Then

The space remained vacant until Ho's lease in October 2026.

Now

Good Morning 96's lease converts the vacancy into the anchor of the revitalization's new restaurant row.

Why this matters now

Shows how the billionaire-funded property acquisitions displaced existing businesses before attracting new ones.

Sources

(8)
+2
sfstandard.com yahoo.com SFist popup.food Gail & Brad Made by Magazine San Francisco Chronicle sfstandard.com