The name Straw Hat Pizza has been around a while, though there hasn’t been a location in the Fresno area for years.

Now there is.

Straw Hat Pizza Grille opened in Clovis Monday.

The pizza place is at 80 W. Shaw Ave. It’s in the large building that used to be Indian restaurant Elephant Lounge and later Haveli Indian Bistro & Banquet, a restaurant and catering business.

The owner, Ranjit “Junior” Singh, decided to switch the business and become a Straw Hat franchisee.

Straw Hat has 25 locations in California and Nevada.

This one is the third of its kind, a Straw Hat Pizza Grille. That means that, in addition to pizza, it has an expanded menu that includes burgers, pasta, sandwiches, salads. It has appetizers like garlic Parmesan “groovy twists” (Straw Hat’s spin on breadsticks) and deep-fried pickle chips.

It also has a full bar that has beer on tap and will serve craft cocktails.

“This is a total new concept, the design,” Singh said. “The pizza quality is the same. It’s freshly made dough every day.”

Pizza options include individual and full-sized pizzas and a create-your-own option. Gluten-free and cauliflower pizza crusts are available.

It’s open for dine-in and take out, following COVID-19-related guidelines. Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

The large building has been majorly remodeled. Gone is the elephant decor, replaced with an atmosphere that’s more like a pizza parlor, with lots of TVs.

It has a patio and a private party room.

Straw Hat Pizza has a history in the area, with several stand-alone restaurants in Fresno and surrounding cities until the 1980s. Much of the chain disappeared when the locations were sold to Pizza Hut.

In 2009 an express version of the restaurant opened in a convenience store at Nees and Ingram avenues, but has since closed. Straw Hat also has locations in Exeter and Visalia.

“I grew up with Straw Hat, so I knew about it,” Singh said. “The younger generation, it’s a surprise to them. The franchise, its coming back.”

Bethany Clough

The Fresno Bee

(559) 441-6431

Bethany Clough covers restaurants and retail for The Fresno Bee. A reporter for more than 20 years, she now works to answer readers’ questions about business openings, closings and other business news. She has a degree in journalism from Syracuse University and her last name is pronounced Cluff.