SF restaurant The Front Porch tapes episode of Guy Fieri’s ‘Diner’s, Drive-Ins and Dives’ – SF Gate

On Tuesday, Bernal Heights restaurant The Front Porchclosed its doors for the day but for the best possible reason. The SF Southern comfort food spot spent the day filming an episode of "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives," celebrity chef Guy Fieri's popular Food Network show.

"It kind of caught us by surprise," said co-owner Kevin Cline, who was contacted by the show. "But its such a good thing that they do for restaurants it's essentially free marketing for small mom-and-pop shops all across the country."

This, however, is not the first time The Front Porch has been featured on Fieri's show. In 2013, the spiky-haired Santa Rosa resident stopped by the restaurant to make shrimp and grits with chef Matt Marcus, after which he exclaimed the shrimp was "succulent" and gave Marcus a fist bump. Being featured on the show has been a boon to the restaurant over the years.

"Guy has such a dedicated fan base that you will find people coming in from Finland," Cline said. "They do tours of 'Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives' restaurants. It happens less now, but in the past you would see that. He's got a fan club."

This new episode is part of a series called "Triple D Nation," in which Fieri revisits some of his Flavortown favorites.

"They're going to restaurants that are still open and ones that they're interested in and adding a new update to it," explained Cline. "They're asking, 'What are you doing lately, what's new about you and what's the same?' They choose a couple of new dishes and make an expanded episode."

On Tuesday, a crew of six came by to transform the restaurant into a film studio for the day. Everyone got COVID-tested on the spot, and then the crew filmed interviews with Cline and co-owner Josey White. They also filmed chef Jack Felton cooking up a few of The Front Porch's new dishes: jambalaya arancini and crawfish pot pie. But it wasn't just a normal day in the kitchen for Felton: He had to cook with his nondominant hand for the sake of continuity.

"Hes left-handed, and the way the shots are constructed, they needed him to do it with his right hand," explained Cline. "They're such a professional crew, any time he tried to reach out with his natural hand to get the ingredients, they corrected it and had to do it over again."

This time around, Fieri himself didn't make it out, but he did vet the menu beforehand for the items he wanted featured on the show. Cline, however, remembers his 2013 meeting with the mayor of Flavortown well.

"He has this big personality that is what you see on camera, but I was really impressed by how much of a restaurant guy he was," he recalled. "He just loved talking about the nuts and bolts of it not only the recipes, but service and what plates we use and the history of the restaurant. After the filming was over, he stood around for another half an hour talking with us in front the restaurant. He's very down-to-earth, compared to the big Flavortown [persona]."

Cline said the Food Network team estimated their episode would air within the next six weeks a quick turnaround, as highlighting restaurants still open during the pandemic is a huge priority to them. It seems the "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" crew stopped by at least one other Bay Area spot while they were in the neighborhood, too: Oakland's Souley Vegan also posted on social media this week about a recent visit from the TV show.

If you're hoping to try some of The Front Porch's Fieri-approved Dr. Pepper-braised short ribs or shrimp and grits for yourself, the restaurant just reopened for outdoor dining, and also still offers takeout and delivery. The pandemic hasn't been easy on any restaurant, but Cline is feeling grateful they're still in business nearly a year into this crisis.

"It doesn't do to grumble about it because everybody's going through it, and we're still standing," he said. "A lot of people aren't a lot of people had to close down their dreams, which is a big shame. So definitely there's a feeling of gratitude and luck that our customers ... They've been amazing. The show of support has been incredible."

The Front Porch, 65a 29th Street, San Francisco. Open for dinner 4-9 p.m., Tuesday-Sunday, and for brunch 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m, Saturday-Sunday.

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SF restaurant The Front Porch tapes episode of Guy Fieri's 'Diner's, Drive-Ins and Dives' - SF Gate