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Just nine months after its grand opening, Swing Shift, a San Mateo restaurant serving an eclectic mix of global cuisines, will offer its final dinner service on Saturday, March 8.
“I just haven’t had enough business,” owner and San Mateo resident Yvette Yong said. “I think part of it has to do with it being a brand new concept. No one else is doing this.”
Irish meat pies with ground beef, cabbage, potatoes and Guinness stout ($19) from Swing Shift in San Mateo. Courtesy Swing Shift. 
Five-spice pork belly and scallion fried rice ($22) from Swing Shift in San Mateo. Courtesy Swing Shift. 
Mexico City style tacos campechanos with steak, chorizo, chicharrones, onion, cilantro and salsa ($17) from Swing Shift in San Mateo. Courtesy Swing Shift.
Since June, Swing Shift has offered an inclusive menu featuring a variety of vegan options; a wide selection of mocktails, wine alternatives and nonalcoholic beer; and dishes from Mexico, India, Ireland, Greece, China, Japan and more. Named after the work shift between the day and night shifts, typically 4 p.m. to midnight, Swing Shift aimed to be a spot where everyone could find their own version of comfort food.
“The menu, I think, for some people, just doesn’t make sense,” Yong said, explaining that the concept doesn’t align with the typical process of finding a restaurant – selecting a cuisine or dish and then searching online for a restaurant specializing in that.
Swing Shift is Yong’s second time owning a restaurant in San Mateo, with her first being high-end seafood restaurant Lure, which operated from 2005-2008. The opportunity to open Swing Shift came about after her friend subleased the former Noshery spot to her for five months. She entered a short-term agreement to continue to see if Swing Shift was viable, ultimately coming to the conclusion “she didn’t really have enough funding, unless things just went gangbusters,” she said.
Still, Yong hopes “to hang onto the name for a while just to see if something comes up,” she said, and is interested in opening another restaurant if the opportunity presents itself.
“I love San Mateo,” Yong said. “The landlords have been fantastic in helping me to see if this is something that’s viable. The Downtown San Mateo Association, they’re fantastic and super willing to help wherever they can. So it’s been great. It’s been a positive experience.”
Swing Shift, 5 S. Ellsworth Ave., San Mateo; 650-281-0122, Instagram: @swingshift_restaurant. Open Tuesday to Saturday from 5-9 p.m.
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