Beloved San Francisco cheesecake shop shifts to wholesale

San Francisco's most iconic cheesecake shop is closing its storefront and shifting to wholesale.

The Chronicle confirmed that Zanze's Cheesecake, a San Francisco fixture for 41 years, will shift operations from retail to wholesale starting in August amid the ongoing pandemic.

Zanze's Cheesecake has been temporarily closed since March 17 when mandatory shelter-in-place orders were established. A pre-recorded message left on the store's answering machine indicated that Zanze's Cheesecake would be “closed indefinitely.”

Previous reports indicated that the iconic cheesecake shop had permanently closed after Andrea Cusenbery, daughter of owner Sam Zanze, shared a since-removed Facebook post that said Zanze's Cheesecake “won't be open for retail business anymore.”

“She didn't realize it was going to go viral,” Zanze told The Chronicle. “I do want to keep active as long as I can.”

For decades, Zanze's Cheesecake has drawn a large fanbase for its fluffy cheesecakes made without a traditional graham cracker crust. A limited toppings menu offers sour cherry, blueberry, chocolate shavings, or raspberry.

Sam Zanze picked up the trade from his father and, when Zanze decided to open up his own shop in the late 1970s, he decided to perfect the European-style cheesecake. In a 2007 interview with The Chronicle, Zanze got candid about why he chose to sell cheesecake.

"I think baking, providing sustenance, is one of the nicest things we can do for people in this world. It keeps me engaged," Zanze said. "I get to connect with people on a human level, and to create something that makes people truly happy."

Before shelter-in-place orders, customers around the Bay Area would journey into the Ingleside District, where the shop is located, for the coveted dessert. Zanze said in 2007 that 50 cheesecakes were made and sold daily.

Bay Area grocery chain Molly Stone's Tower Market at 635 Potrero Dr. carried frozen versions of Zanze's Cheesecakes during the Christmas holiday season and summer. It's unclear if Zanze's Cheesecake will continue operations there.

Zanze told The Chronicle that at this time he is unsure where the cheesecakes will be sold.

Zazne's Cheesecake is located at 2405 Ocean Ave. in San Francisco.