He probably should have negotiated (ahead of time) with the landlord. The landlord isn't making any money with the building sitting empty, so doing some kind o

He probably should have negotiated (ahead of time) with the landlord. The landlord isn't making any money with the building sitting empty, so doing some kind of venture debt or profit share with the landlord w/ lower rent during the permitting phase would have made sense. The alternative is the landlord had other tenants lined up, in which case the free market problem is more that there is not enough commercial space available in SF (probably true) or that the income from an ice cream parlor isn't sufficient to support a $7300 / month location (which in pandemic times it isn't, hence him giving up).