Who knew that San Diego has become one of the brunch capitals of the state?
San Francisco-based website reservation service OpenTable has released its list of Top 100 Brunch Restaurants in America for 2024 just in time for Mother’s Day May this May 13.
What is surprising is that four regional restaurants make the list of 13 that are located in California, about 30% of the total.
Can’t beat that.
San Diego’s venerable eatery atop Banker’s Hill Mister A’s makes the list, along with AR Valentien at The Lodge at Torrey Pines and Hillcrest’s insideOUT, as well as The Pony Room in Rancho Santa Fe.
The list was compiled by analyzing more than 14 million diner reviews, including diner ratings and the percentage of restaurant reviews diners tagged as “brunch,” according to a news release
This year, the list features brunch spots in 29 states, with California having the largest share of restaurants at 13.
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San Diego taco restaurant chain Puesto has released the results of its community donation program with Scripps Cancer Care.
The two created a special menu item, the Vegetable Mole Verde Taco.
The restaurant gave $50,000 to Scripps Health from sales of the taco and other items.
According to a publicist, “The cause is close to the Puesto family with team members who have personally been affected by cancer, either through their families or themselves, and Puesto is proud to partner with an organization that provides patients with the utmost care.”
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Local community food bank Feeding San Diego says it is distributing produce from local farms purchased using federal dollars targeting to support both farmers and residents.
The local food bank has teamed with farm cooperative Foodshed to source locally grown produce as part of the program and distribute it to 1,350 households at sites in San Diego and Alpine.
Hundreds of thousands of dollars will be injected into the local food economy by purchasing local produce over the next two years, according to a news release.
Feeding San Diego is a member of The California Association of Food Banks, which is part of the program.
The effort is part of a U.S. Department of Agriculture program that provides funds for state, tribal, and territorial governments to purchase food within 400 miles of the delivery destination.
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When it comes to monthly rents, San Diego is bucking a national trend, but not necessarily in favor of our renters.
According to the Realtor.com Rental Report released this week, in March median rents declined nationwide for the eighth consecutive month, with year-over-year prices dropping -0.3%.
The decline was experienced across all unit sizes — from studios to two bedrooms.
But here in San Diego median rents rose 2.9% to $2,866.
The report found that the national median rent of $1,722 was only $36 less than the peak seen in August 2022 but $313 more than in March 2019, before the pandemic, “pointing to a resilient rental market.”
Rents have increased 22% over the past five years, with the average rent sitting at $ 1,700 per month.
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Orange County residential real estate data collector ATTOM has released its first-quarter 2024 U.S. Home Sales Report, which found that profit margins on median-priced single-family home sales in the U.S. decreased to 55.3% in the first quarter — the smallest level in more than two years.
The decline in typical profit margins, from 57% in the fourth quarter of 2023 and 57% a year ago, came as the median nationwide home price dropped 4% to $330,000.
But there was a positive aspect for San Diegans.
Aside from Rochester, New York, and San Jose, the largest annual increases in profit margins among metro areas with a population of at least 1 million was here in San Diego, which was up from 65% to 48%.
According to a news release, the news was not all good for the nation as a whole.
“While prices often fall back during the slower winter home-selling season each year, the latest decrease marked one of the largest quarterly declines over the past 10 years.”
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San Diego-based personal fundraising website GoFundMe said that the platform is expanding into Mexico.
In a news release, CEO Tim Cadogan said the expansion marks the “20th fully supported country and the company’s first international expansion in nearly six years.”
He also said organizers in Mexico can now create fundraising campaigns, accept donations and withdraw funds in Mexican Pesos, “part of GoFundMe’s effort to safely deliver more help from its global community, which has already surpassed $30 billion since 2010.”
According to the release, the expansion reflects GoFundMe’s popularity worldwide, with a 400% growth in donation volume in non-English language countries over the last six years.
The 14-year-old GoFundMe helps customers “help each other by providing a platform to connect with supporters and reach their fundraising goals for causes and communities that matter most.”
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Dallas-based business acquisitions advisor Generational Group has opened an office in San Diego. The firm said it now has 17 offices in North America.
“San Diego is an important market for us. We have considerable momentum there and we’re excited to now commit additional resources to San Diego,” according to a news release.
The new office is led by Amy Wall, who has more than 25 years of experience in the M&A industry, according to the release.
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The so-called retail apocalypse continues.
Ohio-based fashion retailer Express recently announced it filed for bankruptcy and is closing four local stores in San Diego.
The retailer will be left with 45 stores in the U.S.
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Finally, this bit of aviation sector news from East County.
Ohio-based privately-owned composite technology airplane propeller maker Hartzell Propeller recently announced its acquisition of El Cajon-based WhirlWind Propellers Corp.
According to a news release, the 29-year-old Whirlwind, “is renowned for its advanced composite constant-speed and ground-adjustable propellers.”
Jim Rust, “the visionary behind WhirlWind Propellers,” will join the Hartzell team “to further enhance their capabilities through his expertise in rapid prototyping and composite systems.”
According to So-Cal Business Broker, which orchestrated the acquisition, “This significant transaction… marks a notable expansion of Hartzell’s product range into the light-sport, experimental, and unmanned aircraft markets.”
The “partnership will drive innovation in the light-sport, experimental, and unmanned aircraft market,” the broker said in a news release.
Tom York is a Carlsbad-based independent journalist who specializes in writing about business and the economy. If you have news tips you’d like to share, send them to tom.york@gmail.com.