Did I make a mistake or did Hassan change?

A few years ago I was asked to help select a tenant for a store front.  The storefront was in a location that had been a small grocery and was suited for a coffee shop or sandwich shop.

One of the applicants was a fellow named Hassan who had a large coffee shop on Fillmore near Haight.  

I was not impressed with Hassan’s operation.  It seemed to have too much old raw wood on the walls and floor (hard to clean) and many of the tables had cracks that looked unsanitary to me.  Simply on the basis of the cleanliness issue, I didn’t recommend Hassan for the new tenant.

The exact opposite is the case with my old client La Taqueria which I described in this blog.  One of the restaurant’s strongest points was its cleanliness.  Not something often found in Mexican restaurants.  In the earlier blog I pointed out that my advice had been right and La Taqueria was still packed to the walls with customers every hour they are open, 40 years later.  Since that blog La Taqueria has been named the best burrito in America.

The point of this blog is that Hassan has since opened three other restaurants.  They are favorites of mine.  All three are immaculate and successful.  The name is Squat and Gobble in the new locations.

Did I misjudge Hassan?  Was his first shop appropriate for the neighborhood and I didn’t understand that necessary funkiness.  Or did Hassan change?