Nice Ventures, Inc.
Nice Ventures, (named after and pronounced like Nice, France) is a California corporation that was founded in 1995. It brings over 30 years of restaurant management experience in opening, operating, and closing restaurants in San Francisco. Until 2025, it owned and managed two restaurants (Rose's Cafe and Terzo) in San Francisco. In December 2025 these restaurants were sold to a new owner, who worked for the restaurants for over ten years.
Nice Ventures has consulted with clients in the areas of restaurant management, accounting, human resources, healthcare solutions, operations, and new restaurant development. It also has significant experience in restaurant advocacy and public policy.
PRESS
BIO
What started as a personal love of food and a side business venture as a restaurant investor, turned into a career for Laurie Thomas, owner of Nice Ventures. For years Thomas owned and operated several restaurants in San Francisco, including Rose Pistola (closed in 2017), Rose's Cafe, and Terzo. In December 2025 she sold Rose's Cafe and Terzo to her longtime General Manager.
In January 2020, Thomas took on the Executive Director role for the Golden Gate Restaurant Association (GGRA), a non profit trade organization focused on helping Bay Area restaurants survive and thrive. In this role she led the restaurants through the numerous challenges with San Francisco's health restrictions and covid closures. In this role she helped advocate for the parklet program (Shared Spaces). Thomas also was instrumental in filing Prop M, the Gross Receipts Tax Reform measure that passed in 2024.
When she is not working or eating in her restaurants, Thomas is committed to giving back to the San Francisco community. Thomas is a member of the honorary board of Meals on Wheels; a SF non-profit focused on feeding the elderly and was a founding member on the board of the Friends of Larkin Street, a sub-board of Larkin Street, focused on fundraising for at risk youth. Thomas also sits on the SF Workforce Investment San Francisco Board (WISF).
In her spare time, Thomas enjoys hanging out in SF with her husband and rescue cat Mookie, and traveling, skiing, hiking, food, and wine.
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