By George Brown V 

Nestled on a quiet corner at Taraval Street and 14th Avenue with its unassuming window display of floral bouquets in tin can vases, Après Vous invites customers to journey to Europe as they step through its doors. 

Part European cafe, with cozy tables that welcome diners to sit and relax, and part market of fine foods with an artistic display of pâtés, gourmet chips and sauces – Après Vous offers ready-made European delicacies that diners can enjoy for lunch or take home to feed their family. 

Après Vous opened a little more than a year ago, in February 2024. It is the joint venture of owner and General Manager Stan Gee and French-trained head chef Richard Chagniot. 

Gee has extensive restaurant experience, having previously worked at notable restaurants like BIX and Rose’s Cafe. The business partners chose to open Après Vous in the Parkside District because they both raised their children in the neighborhood and live just a few blocks from the restaurant.

“There are a lot of great Asian and Italian restaurants here, but what we don’t have a lot of is other European foods, so we decided to bring that here,” Gee said. “We wanted to offer a variety of food within our surrounding community.”

Gee said he is proud to serve restaurant-quality food that meets the needs of customers, whether it is takeout or dine-in. Some of the popular dishes served at Après Vous include the meat lasagna and salmon beurre blanc. The name Après Vous was conceived by Gee’s daughter, Campbell. The French phrase, which means “after you,” is typically used by a gentleman who allows someone else, such as a woman or elderly person, to proceed through an entrance first.

“It’s a nice term that reflects courtesy, and when people come here, we hope to greet them with our hospitality,” Gee said.

The daily menu at Après Vous rotates entree selections, and there are always numerous mouth-watering options, from whole roasted chicken to branzino filets with various sides to choose from, including rice pilaf, polenta and garlic mashed potatoes. 

There is a freezer stocked with tiramisu, chocolate mousse, panna cotta and many more desserts. This unique establishment hosts pop-ups in the store as well. One of the popular items sold in the market is a snack mix that started out as a pop-up and is now made and packaged in the kitchen. Après Vous also hosts tastings where vendors visit to showcase their products.  

Notably, the store refrained from using any social media for advertisement for the first nine to 12 months in order to establish a connection with the surrounding San Francisco community.

“We understand that social media is a big thing, but we really wanted our neighborhood to find us first, kind of organically,” Gee said. “In doing so, we have a better understanding of what our neighbors want to eat. It’s really important for us to establish ourselves within the community first and build that bond with the people around us.”

Many of its regular customers discovered Après Vous by chance while walking through the neighborhood.

“I like coming here regularly and appreciate the variety of tasty foods,” Gary Gin said, as he collected his order of chicken pot pie and roasted pork ribs. “It’s convenient to come here, and the food is not the same all the time. There is a wide selection. It’s all high quality, and the staff is always very friendly and helpful.”

In addition to running the restaurant, Gee and Chagniot cater various events, such as baptisms, anniversaries, celebrations of life, sporting events, holiday parties and product launches. When planning events, Gee and Chagniot will create tailor-made menus to fit the customers’ vision as well as their budget.

Gee said he has enjoyed being in the restaurant business immensely. He used to work in the technology industry but knew running a restaurant was what he was meant to do.

Reflecting on his time in the food service industry, Gee said, “All I want to do for the rest of my life is to make people happy through food. Everybody can have differences of opinion, but at the end of the day if we break bread with each other, we can find some common space.”

Gee said he has always believed people must follow what they truly love; for him, that is spreading joy through food.

There’s not much control about what’s going on in the world right now for each person, but one thing they can control is what they eat every day,” he said. “If I can bring some sense of enjoyment through food, that’s what makes me happy to wake up every morning and do this every day.”

Aprés Vous is located at 345 Taraval St. and is open Mondays to Saturdays, 10 a.m.- 7 p.m. and closed on Sundays.  Learn more at apresvoussf.com.