phrase · first recorded 2013 · status: emerging
The San Francisco Yes
1.An RSVP of yes that means yes, unless a better invitation arrives or the couch makes a competing offer. The cancellation is traditionally sent after you have already left home.
Eight people gave Maya the San Francisco Yes for dinner; at 7:15 the reservation was still for eight and the table was for Maya.
01Origin
The earliest solid documentation found is Shideh Etaat's August 28, 2013 Bold Italic essay, "What's Up with the San Francisco Yes?" Etaat described hearing the phrase from a stranger in the bathroom line at the Make-Out Room, suggesting it was already circulating rather than coined for the article. The essay gave the term its durable public definition: committing immediately, then escaping at the last minute when work, exhaustion, FOMO, or a better party intervenes. ([thebolditalic.com](https://www.thebolditalic.com/what-s-up-with-the-san-francisco-yes-the-bold-italic-san-francisco/))
It reached Urban Dictionary in 2016 and resurfaced in Hacker News discussion in 2023, Bay Area Reddit in 2025, and r/sanfrancisco again on January 7, 2026. The behavior is not uniquely San Franciscan, but the city successfully branded it, which is nearly as good as inventing it. ([urbandictionary.com](https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=san+francisco+yes))
02Notable sightings
No tweets are on file yet - the field work continues. Search X for “The San Francisco Yes”.
03Spread the ism
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