What San Francisco’s Return to Office Looks Like Today
At IPG, we’ve been saying it all year — San Francisco’s comeback was never a matter of if, but when.
Since January, we’ve tracked the early signs of renewed leasing, increased office foot traffic, and investor re-engagement. The momentum we anticipated is now taking shape on the ground, as the city’s business core finds its rhythm again.
San Francisco’s downtown is showing real, measurable progress. Stricter return-to-office policies, a surge of new cafes and restaurants, and higher transit ridership are bringing new energy to the streets — even as foot traffic remains below pre-pandemic levels.
When the Business Times’ editor-in-chief returned to the office in April 2025, the changes were unmistakable. After years of remote work and reduced activity, downtown once again feels familiar — the morning rush, the lines at coffee shops, the steady movement of professionals through the Financial District.
“It’s the San Francisco I immediately recognized,” he wrote, recalling his early career near First and Mission. The transformation reflects a city adapting to a new era. The Salesforce Transit Center now stands as a modern hub, and independent local businesses like Flywheel Coffee and Boichik Bagels have replaced many of the national chains that once dominated.
Placer.ai data shows that downtown visitation remains about 40% below pre-pandemic norms — but momentum is accelerating. In August, San Francisco ranked among the top metro areas for in-person work recovery. “If that trend continues, it will be great for the local economy,” the article notes, even if it means fewer open seats on BART.
Photographer Adam Pardee captured this evolution in a series of images showing a city in transition — full of movement, not stagnation. The result is a far cry from the “zombie city” narratives that circulated during the downturn.San Francisco in 2025 isn’t trying to return to what it was — it’s becoming something new. And at IPG, we see this as a defining moment for the city’s office market: a chance to secure space in a market that’s rebuilding its identity around innovation, resilience, and long-term value.
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