Food News

The Sad Reason Why One Of The Last Handmade Fortune Cookie Factories Is Closing

Whenever you open up a little fortune cookie — eager to receive some random, universal wisdom — do you ever wonder who makes the cookies? You might think the whole process is automated and devoid of magic, but you’d be wrong! There’s one mystical company keeping fortune cookie goodness alive — and that’s San Francisco’s Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Company.

It’s been in operation since 1962, hand-producing its fortune cookies.

The company actually rolls and folds each and every one of the fortunes you love to rip open and read.

Of course, most other companies do automate their fortune cookie assembly, and have been doing this since 1964. Sci Technology was the first major manufacturer of totally-automated cookies.

It may be that the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Company will have to update their manufacturing processes, too, though, since San Francisco is getting pricey.

Other companies are jumping ship and leaving the city, so the future of their beloved fortune cookies is unclear.

The company’s co-owner Kevin Chan told the BBC that their rent has increased a whopping 328 percent — from $1,400 to $6,000 per month.

In three years.

Yep, that’s a lot.

To make matters worse, automated fortune cookie companies sell boxes of fortune cookies for about half the price ($8).

The Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Company sells a single box at $14, and it takes them an hour-and-a-half to produce one.

There’s something about hand-produced goods that makes all the difference.

Sadly, rent prices are skyrocketing and there’s no sustainable way to stay competitive against cheaper goods that are faster to prepare.

San Francisco is facing a major problem.

That’s because mega millionaires are moving in and taking up residence, displacing people and businesses.

In fact, the Bay Area is seeing single-family homes costing up to 5 million dollars — all due to businesses like Uber, Lyft, Slack, Postmates, Pinterest, and Airbnb going public.

In any case, we love a good fortune cookie, and we admire the effort and love that goes into creating them by hand.

The company even lets you create your own custom fortune cookies, as one Twitter user shows.

Who wouldn’t want a handmade fortune cookie that’s been customized to your liking?

The company also lets you take tours of the factory, which makes it a favorite among tourists and locals.

As the SF Gate reports,

“For 57 years, tourists, schoolchildren and locals have squeezed into the small storefront of the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory in SF for a free sample and a sight of workers folding fortune cookies.”

Fans of the company are wondering what can be done. We hope that the city will find a way to save the institution.

In an incredible soundbite translated into the English, the co-owner says,

“People think I’m a millionaire but as you can see, each fortune cookie is individually hand-folded [with] blood and tears.”

Apparently, only Chan’s mother has the secret recipe for the cookies:

“Even I don’t know the recipe,” co-owner Kevin Chan, whose mother and uncle founded the store, told the BBC.

“It’s my mum’s secret.”

As Chan tells BBC, he still uses old machinery, one dating back to the ’50s:

“Old school doesn’t exist in today’s technology. But I’m determined to keep the traditions going.”

We hope the company will stick around, since it seems so many people feel passionately about what they do and what they stand for in the local community.

This tweet really exemplifies that local love:

San Francisco, find a way to keep your institution alive.

We need our fortunes!

Samantha Wachs

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