I would counter that proximity to work is a huge influence on where people decide to live. There are (or will be) bars and restaurants everywhere, which means if you can work from home, there is significantly less incentive to live in a small, overpriced apartment.
The bars are restaurants available in most cities in the USA do not compare to the bars and restaurants in cities like SF, Los Angeles, NYC, Tokyo, Paris, etc.....
I mean places like Flagstaff Arizona, or Temecula California, etc.... In the cities listed in the first paragraph there are, unique bars (not sure what word to use) and interesting restaurants. In most cites there are just places like AppleBess and the local versions of same. If that makes me a bar/food snob okay but what's available in many cities is just not comparable in random small city.
Flagstaff is a decent sized mountain town. Decent sized mountain towns have pretty good food and bars, including unique establishments. Of course they won’t please a true snob looking for a new home, but they plenty suit low key snobs like me. Last time I made a pit stop in Flagstaff it took 30 seconds on Yelp to find a great independent Cajun-creole joint with a pleasant patio, friendly staff, and delicious food and craft beer.
And frankly, let’s not let SF off the hook for its large proportion of mediocre restaurants and bars. IMO they are a another sad consequence of Prop 13: old businesses with low property taxes don’t need to be much good to survive, but the cost of starting a new business is spectacularly high.
Do most old restaurants in SF own their property rather than rent? If they are renting, why are landlords passing down prop 13 property tax savings to them especially?
Most of the interesting bars and restaurants in SF are closing as we speak. As the pandemic drags on expect it will continue. Who do you think will have the money to replace these places?
Investors, like always. Do you think its mom and pop opening a bar with smoke infused cocktails in SF, or anywhere else for that matter where commercial rent has been astoundingly high for decades now? Investors will buy back in once it makes sense economically. Restaurant turnover is typical.
Right investors who open cookie cutter hipster bars that exist in every other city. The unique bars and restaurants in SF that have been there for decades are dying and they won’t come back.
I don't think it makes you a snob to say that there is better food in certain cities. If you have any special requirements, like being vegan, you aren't going to find anywhere near the same options in smaller cities. But I think for most people, access to quality restaurants is fairly low on the list. Certainly far below proximity to work. Put another way, would you pay an extra $2k a month to be able to eat at certain restaurants? You might! But most people wouldn't.
This was maybe true twenty years ago, but not anymore. In addition the variety of food available at grocery stores or online is vast and with an actual kitchen you can make food you like at home.
