This scene parked outside Amber India’s Valencia outpost surprised me for two reasons: unions have been protesting outside corporate retailers downtown daily since there have been unions.  This is nothing new.  But I cannot remember a time they bothered with the lil’ old Mission District.  It seems now that Valencia is among the heaviest trafficked streets in the city, unions have learned what Greenpeace has known for years and are bringing their shame campaigns to the corridor.  What fun!

But Amber Dhara?  Really?  The death chef standing next to Death himself tells us they’re protesting the restaurant because they refused to hire union carpenters, which is fine.  But customers have been protesting their boring food and 70s coke den decor since they opened—they hardly need any help scaring away business.

Regardless, you have to hand it to the union: they couldn’t have picked a more appropriate symbol to stick outside the ever desolate restaurant.