Two dozen years at Peet’s

IT’S A BIG DAY at Peet’s on Fillmore, the town square of the neighborhood. Peetniks are celebrating Nancy Ferrufino’s 24th year anniversary at the always-bustling coffee shop on the corner of Fillmore and Sacramento. She’s a familiar sight three mornings a week, keeping the counters, tables and floors clean, stocking condiments, greeting the regulars — and their dogs — by name.

“Nancy is friendly and always has a nice greeting,” says Peetnik Tillie Lee, who stops by to see friends most days of the week. “Nancy, being a dog lover, always asks our dog if he can smell her dog Cinnamon on her clothing. If we need anything after receiving our drinks, we can count on Nancy to help.” 

Says nearby neighbor Maureen Flaherty: “We compare notes on both our senior dogs — mutual support through their aging.” Added local business owner Laurie Dunlap: “She always keeps me posted on her City College typing class.”

She was originally hired by Brian Chew, an early, longtime, fondly remembered manager of Peet’s on Fillmore.

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Peet’s has changed over the decades since it replaced the legendary, but rarely open, Sugar’s Broiler on the key transit corner next door to Browser Books, with managers and staffers coming and going and even the occasional remodel. The outdoor seating — known as Fillmore Beach in the summer when the sun shines on the north side of the building — expanded considerably during the pandemic as everybody moved outside.

Peet’s grew even more popular last year when the Starbucks on the next block closed. Some of the regulars lamented the influx of “Starbucks people.”

But one thing has remained the same for 24 years: Nancy Ferrufino will say hello and clean up around your feet. Her long presence in the neighborhood will be celebrated today by the regulars.

MORE: Peet’s on Fillmore through the ages