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yesterday

Swan Oyster Depot to Reopen July 14 After Yelp Suspends Reviews Over Trump Hat Display

After removing a customer-gifted Trump hat ahead of its vacation, the century-old San Francisco eatery is defending its neutral memorabilia collection as Yelp investigates a surge of one-star reviews.

FILE: Swan Oyster Depot in San Francisco in June 2023. The 113-year-old restaurant is under fire for displaying a President Donald Trump hat inside the store. 
FILE: Swan Oyster Depot in San Francisco in June 2023. The 113-year-old restaurant is under fire for displaying a President Donald Trump hat inside the store. 
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Overview

  • A TikTok post by user Kat Ensign on July 8 reignited attention on a “45-47” Trump hat displayed inside Swan Oyster Depot, prompting hundreds of one-star reviews on Google and Yelp.
  • Swan Oyster Depot closed on July 3 for vacation and removed the customer-gifted hat nearly two weeks ago for cleaning ahead of its break.
  • Yelp has paused new reviews on the restaurant’s page while it investigates whether the sudden influx of one-star ratings reflects genuine customer experiences.
  • Co-owner Kevin Sancimino emphasizes that the Trump hat was an unsolicited gift and one of many apolitical items in the eatery’s century-old memorabilia collection.
  • The restaurant, founded in 1912, has previously faced social media-driven backlash, including a 2021 incident involving a linguistic misunderstanding.