Here’s what Fresno businesses are doing during coronavirus, from restaurants to stores
These are strange times, aren’t they?
We’re several weeks into sheltering in place, with health experts still saying the peak of the coronavirus won’t come until late April in Fresno. We’re probably all going a little stir crazy.
Businesses are hurting, but continue to get creative in how they serve customers. And in some good news, some restaurants that were closed are reopening – for takeout only, of course.
Here’s what’s happening with restaurants and retailers in the Fresno area lately as they deal with the effects of COVID-19.
Revue is back
The Revue, the popular coffee shop in the Tower District, closed March 19 but has reopened for takeout orders.
The business is selling several of its drinks: Mexican mochas and whiskey-caramel lattes, along with bottled matcha lattes and specialty teas.
In order to keep the risk of coronavirus to a minimum, they are only taking orders and payment online, no call-in or walk-up orders or cash payment.
A table has been placed in front of the door so customers don’t need to come inside the coffee shop. Order online at therevuefresno.com.
Drinks are available for pickup from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays.
Walk-up windows
Like Revue, other restaurants are increasingly adding walk-up windows so customers don’t have to come inside.
Fulton Street Coffee on Tuolumne Street is still open, serving coffee mostly to the essential employees still working in downtown Fresno. The owners built a walk-up window in their door and drew clouds on the sidewalk so customers know where to stand to be six feet apart.
Next up: The coffee shop plans to add a doggie door and start serving puppuccinos (whipped cream with a dog treat in a cup) for dogs.
Rocky Hill Brewing Grill & Tavern, the newly opened restaurant and taproom in the Tower District, added an accordion window to serve walk-up customers. It’s on the outside of the enclosed patio facing the sidewalk.
The restaurant is offering takeout from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m Fridays through Sundays (but starting early at noon on Easter Sunday and selling mimosas). The takeout menu is updated online.
The restaurant is selling beer to go, too. The brewery, which makes its beer in Exeter, also is delivering growlers of beer in Clovis and Fresno and several Tulare and Kings county communities. Order online.
Stores
If you’ve been out to the stores lately, you’ve likely seen some changes happening.
In addition to the sneeze guards and markers on the floor so people can stand six feet apart, more stores are limiting the number of customers inside.
Walmart, Whole Foods, Home Depot and others are doing this or about to. It’s why you may see lines outside the stores (where people are hopefully still standing six feet apart).
Retailers are also increasingly checking to see if their workers are ill.
In late March, the Fresno County Department of Public health ordered businesses to screen their employees daily for “febrile respiratory illness.” That’s defined as “a new worsening episode of either cough or shortness of breath, presenting with fever (100.4 degrees) or chills in the previous 24 hours.”
Home Depot and Starbucks are distributing thermometers to workers and asking them to check their temperature before reporting to work. Walmart and Amazon are starting to take employees’ temperatures as they come into work.
Some stores, like Walmart, are adding one-way paths for customers to follow throughout the store to help them maintain social distancing.
A day of rest
Many retailers will be closed Easter Sunday, even ones that aren’t normally closed that day. It’s their way of giving their employees a break after weeks of dealing with increased demand and safety issues.
Places that will close on Sunday, April 12 include Target, Costco, Trader Joe’s, The Market, Sprouts and Sam’s Club.
Movie popcorn
Watching a movie at home isn’t the same as seeing it on the big screen, but now you can at least get movie popcorn at home.
Maya Cinema at Campus Pointe near Fresno State is selling a 2-gallon bag of popcorn with two large candies for $12.
You can only order and pay for the popcorn over the phone by calling 559-325-5510. No cash payments will be accepted. Orders are accepted between 9 a.m. and noon Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturday. No-contact pickup times are scheduled every 15 minutes to avoid crowding between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. on those days.
And in another sign the world is a different place, you can also add candy like Reese’s Pieces and Skittles onto your order for an additional $2 – not the typical sky-high prices movie theaters usually charge.
The full menu is available online.
Logan’s Roadhouse open
A few days back, Logan’s Roadhouse announced that it’s closing all its company-owned restaurants. The company is in bankruptcy and a lender had withdrawn funding.
But the Logan’s Roadhouse in Fresno is still open. It’s a franchise owned by a different owner and is not part of the large closure.
The restaurant, near Blackstone and Alluvial avenues, is open for takeout from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. It has added family meals that feed four and include two sides and an entree like tri-tip, steaks and brisket. Kids meals are also available.
See its menu on its Facebook page and call 559-437-9385 to order.
Ruth’s Chris closed
The River Park steakhouse Ruth’s Chris has closed temporarily during the coronavirus pandemic. It’s not doing takeout orders.
It joins a small list of other restaurants that have decided to close temporarily during the outbreak. Some other Ruth’s Chris locations across California have closed, as well, yet others remain open serving takeout.
Reopenings
When sheltering in place first started back in March, some restaurants decided to close temporarily. But since that may be turning out to be longer than expected, several are now reopening – for takeout only, of course.
Mike’s Grill, one of the most well-known spots for tri-tip in town, has reopened. This is the little walk-up place at the southeast corner of Cedar and Herndon avenues.
It’s open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays serving meals like tri-tip sandwiches, hot link sandwiches, chili beans and rice pilaf.
Chef Paul’s Cafe, a soul food favorite on F Street in downtown Fresno, closed for a couple weeks but is back open for takeout.
It’s serving its regular menu from noon to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays, taking walk-in or call-in orders only. It’s offering family meals on the weekends. See its Facebook page for details.
Coffee shop Kuppa Joy has had its Joy Thrus (its drive-thrus) open all along, but you can now get drinks from some of the cafes.
The Old Town Clovis Kuppa Joy and the one in Kingsburg are now accepting walk-up orders. The Clovis location and the Grand Cafe at Cedar and Shepherd avenues are accepting pickup and delivery orders via DoorDash.
You can also buy cold brew by the gallon, $25 each, via DoorDash and the locations doing walkup orders.
Paint night at home
Pinot’s Palette, the paint night business in Fresno where people come together to drink wine and paint with a teacher leading them, is closed for obvious reasons.
But it’s selling its paint kits for people who want to paint at home.
The kits include canvas, paint brushes, paint and instructions. They cost $35 and are shipped via UPS. Order online.
This story was originally published April 9, 2020 at 6:09 PM.
