Bay Area restaurants struggle to scrape living

Mounting rents and labor costs among factors contributing to the pressure

Skyrocketing commercial rents exacerbated by a high cost of living in the Bay Area have taken a toll on some restaurant owners in San Francisco, forcing them to cope with a shrinking bottom line.

"It's a losing proposition to open a restaurant in San Francisco these days," said Erik Reese, a restaurant specialist from TRI Commercial, a real estate company based in Northern California.