Charles Phan, the restaurant's owner, plans to expand the small restaurant by demolishing the walls of two vacant storefronts. However, in the Mission District, a seemingly simple plan is bound to upset some. For years, residents of the area have been fighting over the future of the neighborhood, which was occupied mainly by immigrants and low-income residents before the dot-com boom, which made the Mission one of the city's new hotspots.

Even now that the dot-com industry has fallen back to reality, the popularity of the area, mainly due to its trendy bars and restaurants, has made the Mission too expensive for its long-term residents. Many coalitions have formed to develop a neighborhood-designed development blueprint that will make it more affordable and friendly to mom-and-pop restaurants and stores.

In response to the Slanted Door's expansion plans, the Mission Anti-Displacement Coalition has protested against it, saying that the restaurant, which is located on Valencia Street, would be occupying space that had been previously occupied by two neighborhood-oriented businesses. The group says that the space should be used for low-income or immigrant business entrepreneurs.