State cites Pismo’s, 6 Valley restaurants and bars for COVID-19 violations July 4 weekend
Seven bars and restaurants in Fresno and Tulare counties were cited by a state agency over the Fourth of July weekend for allowing indoor dining.
The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control released the names of businesses Monday that it said violated the governor’s COVID-19 health order, which allowed only patio dining and takeout and delivery sales.
The governor ordered the closures on the Wednesday before the holiday, frustrating some business owners who had already bought food and scheduled staff for typically busy weekend.
The businesses cited between July 3 and July 5 were:
Culichi Town, a Mexican seafood restaurant and bar at 2700 W. Shaw Ave., in Fresno.
Pismo’s Coastal Grill, at 7937 N. Blackstone Ave. in Fresno, was cited twice.
Downtown Rookies Sports Bar & Grill at 215 E. Main St. in Visalia.
Crawdaddy’s, a restaurant, bar and music venue at 333 E. Main St. in Visalia.
Froggie’s Pub & Grill at 3232 Mooney Blvd. in Visalia.
Slick’s, a bar at 1420 E. Tulare Ave. in Tulare.
Mariscos Camaron Pelado, a restaurant at 1517 E. El Monte Way in Dinuba.
Enforcement is increasingly falling to state agencies after the governor announced a “strike team” of 10 state agencies to “go after people that are thumbing their nose, that are particularly being aggressive, reticent to do anything.”
Typically, a first citation comes with a court date. If business owners ignore the court date, they could face a $1,000 fine or six months in jail. Further “administrative actions” are possible, possibly including a business losing its liquor license.
These aren’t the only restaurants cited since the order went into effect. House of JuJu restaurant and Luna’s Pizzeria & Italian Restaurant, both in Clovis, told The Bee they were cited by the ABC July 10.
Also, that same week, the ABC cited Rock Yard Tavern in Exeter for indoor dining and indoor alcohol consumption.
The ABC does not release the names of every restaurant it cites, but responds to some requests from journalists and Public Records Act requests.
Most businesses cited over the Fourth of July weekend either declined to comment or could not be reached for comment.
“My lawyer told me to keep my mouth shut,” said a man who answered the phone at Crawdaddy’s in Visalia.
A Facebook post July 4 by Froggie’s referenced the frustration felt by the business: “Finally got the word on what we can do officially. Worst communication ever! Finally know what we can and can’t do.”
Most of the businesses have closed their indoor dining since the citations, except for Pismo’s. It was cited on July 3 and July 5 by the ABC, and visited three times over that weekend by City of Fresno code enforcement.
Owner Dave Fansler has maintained that his 84 feet of large, roll-up, garage-style windows mean his dining room should be considered outdoor dining.
Representatives of both the city and county of Fresno have said they are waiting on feedback from the ABC regarding enforcement when it comes to such gray areas.
Since the pandemic started, Fresno code enforcement has made hundreds of visits to businesses after receiving complaints from the public, expressing a preference to work with businesses instead of fining them.
Just a handful of restaurants have been fined, including Doghouse Grill and Bobby Salazar’s in the Tower District, for a lack of social distancing.
This story was originally published July 14, 2020 at 12:02 PM.
