Q: are you affiliated with…? A: No!Q: It’s supposed to be chilly tonight/rain tonight. Will we be cold/wet if we sit in your parklet? A: Our parklet is shielded from wind and rain, and each table has its own heater, so you will more likely be too warm than too cold. If it’s particularly cold and windy, like in the heart of the summer, you may want to bring a wrap. If the forecast calls for a significant rain or wind event, we will likely close the parklet for that night. I know we said you’d be warm and dry, but your servers (and likely your food, also) would be cold and wet. And while our servers would gladly suffer the harshest conditions in service to your pleasure, we have found that in these cases diners feel so guilty they can’t enjoy their dinner. Also, unintentionally cold/wet food is gross. We will try to contact you at least 24 hours in advance of your reservation if there is a troubling forecast, but there are times when we have to cancel outdoor service with shorter notice. You can blame the meteorologists. Q: Is it a problem if we bring our dog to eat outside with us at Firefly?A: it is definitely a problem if you have a dog and DON’T bring them. We are longtime members of the dog community (by relation) and trust us that word will get back to your dog that that we had treats and pets for them and you didn’t bring them.
Q: We had to give a credit card to make a reservation, and now little Kevin is sick and we can’t leave them at home alone because of what happened last time. Are you going to charge us?
A: While we know YOU would never no-show for a reservation, you’d be surprised at how many of your otherwise sensitive, erudite friends do that EVERY NIGHT. We are a small restaurant and are mostly booked with reservations every night. If we hold a table for a reservation that doesn’t show up, we often cannot use that table at all because we have to honor a reservation later that night on the same table. Losing any of the limited number of tables on any night can mean the difference between our survival and our demise. All that said, if you let us know you won’t be able to make it any time before 5:30 we probably won’t charge you the $25 per person no-show charge, even if you lie to us about the reason.Q: Do you keep space open for walk-ins?
A: We have a dinner counter/wine bar/confessional (depending on the experience you are looking for) with 8 seats that we keep open for walk-ins. We can often find a table for 2 as well. If you give us a call (415-821-7652) we can let you know what’s available and if you’re only 5 min away we can even hold the spots for you. If you’re a larger party, chances are that we will not have a table for you if you walk in, but you should call us because we believe in making dreams come true and will do our best to accommodate you.
Q: Can you accommodate diners with dietary restrictions:
A: Yes! We’re pretty good at it. We recommend that you let us know in advance as that helps be prepared with something you will hopefully enjoy.
Q: Is your Restaurant entirely gluten free?
A: We have one item on our dinner menu that has gluten, and that is the optional buttermilk biscuit served alongside the fried chicken. You can choose the gluten free cornbread instead of the biscuit and your fried chicken dinner will be completely gluten free. Also, all of our desserts are gluten free, as is most of our beer collection, including two gf beers on tap. And you can be comforted by the fact that we have anticipated your follow up question regarding the risk of cross contamination in our kitchen. We take great precautions to ensure that the production and service of the buttermilk biscuit (see above) is separate from everything else.
Q: What’s parking like?
A: We don’t have a parking lot per se, but we are located in a residential neighborhood and there is pretty ample street parking. We suggest giving yourself a few extra minutes and be prepared to walk a block or two.
Q: We noticed on your reservation page that you do not accommodate parties larger than 6 people. What if we are special?
A: We don’t take parties larger than 6 people, and it’s a pretty firm policy. We’re just not set up to handle such large parties. There are many reasons for this; the primary ones being the size of our kitchen, the layout of our dining areas and our systems of service. We’ve made exceptions in the past, including seating the large party at multiple tables, and it has never gone well, despite the best intentions of the dining host. Sorry we aren’t able to be more accommodating, but we’re a small restaurant and have to take precautions to ensure our guests are comfortable; and that we can provide the quality of food and service that people have come to expect from us. We can OCCASIONALLY tack a 7th person onto our largest table if it is a slower night (ie NOT a Friday or Saturday) and if you would like to inquire about this you can email the manager at info@fireflysf.com to make the request. However please realize that there is no guarantee that we will be able to accommodate.
Q: Can we bring the kids?
A: Absolutely! We’re sure we would LOVE your kids. A few things to know:
Our service lanes are pretty narrow in the best of times, so we don’t have room for open strollers alongside tables in the dining room. If your child is in a removable car seat, we can store your stroller in our office while you eat.
We have clip-on baby seats and a couple of booster seats, but no full on high chairs. PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR CHILD AS A PERSON WHEN YOU RESERVE so we can seat you at an appropriately sized table.
Because of our tight service areas we can’t have kids out of their seats during dinner because they may be run over by the kind server bringing you your fried chicken.
We do not have a “kids’ menu”.
