The restaurant is located in the former 1898 home of the
San Francisco Yacht Club. It housed a jazz club called the Yacht Dock when it was purchased by
the Kingston Trio, who converted it into a combination live music venue and natural foods restaurant. It became the Trident in 1966. Trident bartenders Bobby Lozoff and Billy Rice created the modern version of the
Tequila Sunrise cocktail at the restaurant in 1972. It was served at a private party there organized by
Bill Graham to kick off
the Rolling Stones'
1972 tour in America.
Mick Jagger had one, liked it, and he and his entourage started drinking them. They later ordered them all across America, even dubbing the tour itself their "cocaine and tequila sunrise tour". In the 1968 action film
Bullitt, the live band playing in the background of the restaurant scene with
Steve McQueen and
Jacqueline Bissett is Meridian West, a jazz quartet that McQueen had seen performing at The Trident and included in the movie. During the summers of 1974, 1975 and 1976,
Robin Williams worked as a
dishwasher and
busboy at The Trident. The Trident closed in 1980. Shortly thereafter,
Horizons opened and became a popular tourist destination until 2012, when it resumed its Trident title. The current owners also operate the
Buena Vista Cafe in
San Francisco. The Trident closed permanently on New Year's Eve 2025 after declining sales and increasing costs following the
COVID-19 pandemic. ==References==