A representative sample of 1,268 adults in San Francisco were interviewed; 76% of the respondents reported that they were drinkers. Nearly 1/2 patronized a tavern (tavern, bar or cocktail lounge) occasionally; 12% went once a week or more, 15%, 1-3 times a month, 8%, less than once a month and 9%, once a year. Evidently most of the drinking of these respondents did not take place in taverns; 65% of the 104 respondents who drank more than once a week patronized taverns no more often than once a week and 16% never went; among the other drinkers less than 1/2 went more often than once a month. Only 20% reported that they drank wine or beer most frequently in a restaurant or bar and only 36% drank distilled spirits. Those who drank the most patronized the tavern most frequently: 8% of all the respondents were heavy drinkers, but 49% of the frequent patrons were heavy drinkers. The taverns were also patronized by 7% of the abstainers. Occupation was not related to tavern use: 43% of the white-collar and 42% of the blue-collar drinkers went to a tavern once a month or more. Family income was related to tavern use: 65% of the drinkers with incomes of less than $3, 000 never went to a tavern while from 35% to 45% of those with higher incomes went. Among those drinkers with less than high-school education, 59% never patronized taverns compared with 35% of those who have completed colege. More women (55%) than men (36%) never patronized tavers, and 26% of the women and 43% of the men went to a tavern once a month or more often. The younger drinkers patronized the tavern more frequently than the older: 24% of the drinkers under 30 years but 76% of those 60 and over never went to a tavern. The married, divorced, separated and widowed patronized the tavern less frequently than the single: 28% of the single, 42% of the divorced or separated, 47% of the married and 77% of the widowed never went to a tavern.