Patio dining is back in Fresno. Here are some restaurants, bars that are reopening
Patio dining is back.
As Gov. Gavin Newsom lifted the regional stay-at-home order Monday, restaurants in Fresno, Kings, Madera, Merced and Tulare counties can once again offer outdoor dining.
The switch is welcomed by restaurant owners, but their troubles aren’t over yet.
Coronavirus is still spreading, and even more contagious strains are popping up in California.
The switch to outdoor dining also comes during what is probably Fresno’s rainiest week of the year so far. And setting up those patios can cost thousands of dollars.
Bars and restaurants reopen
Still, the return of outdoor dining was promising enough that one restaurant, the Fresno Breakfast House, plans to reopen for the first time in seven weeks.
Several bars that had to close are also reopening. With the county now operating under the purple tier of coronavirus regulations, bars can be open for outdoor dining as long as drinks are served with meals.
So cocktail bar Lucy’s Lounge in the Tower District reopened its patio Tuesday, pairing drinks with food from neighboring restaurant Mama Mia Pizzeria. In downtown Fresno, Modernist will reopen its outdoor seating and parklet Friday with food from Rappit Up! and Gonzalez Taqueria.
Quail State, the downtown rooftop bar, will open for the first time Saturday. Seating is by reservation only – make a reservation on its website – and is on the on the sidewalk outside the building for now.
Fig Garden Village’s Out of the Barrel craft beer taproom reopened its patio Monday. In a playful acknowledgment of January temperatures, the business is selling an Out of the Barrel-themed blanket, beanie and gloves set for $25 to keep craft beer lovers warm.
It may take some restaurants and bars a few days before they start offering outdoor dining, as many need to order food and hire back staff.
A few places were ready to go and have their patios up and running, including The Train Depot and Mad Duck breweries.
Fresno Breakfast House
The Fresno Breakfast House’s return comes after the restaurant closed Dec. 6. The owners decided to close when outdoor dining was banned under the stay-at-home order.
They don’t make enough money on takeout alone to keep the business open, said owner Symoné Tellawi.
“It brings everybody down and you start getting worried, ‘How am I going to stay open?’” she said.
But the restaurant will reopen Friday. Almost the entire staff of nearly 30 is back at work and excited to see customers again, she said.
Tellawi isn’t not sure how many customers will show up, given the rain and winter temps.
“It’s going to be a little cold, we’re well aware of that,” she said. “We just have to go with the flow. There’s some people who are going to want to come out regardless of the weather.”
The restaurant already has sheltered seating and purchased six heaters.
Patio dining doesn’t break even
Although some restaurants have chosen to flaunt the rules and seat customers inside and out despite the stay-at-home order, many have not.
Even returning to outdoor dining usually isn’t enough for restaurants to break even, noted Chuck Van Fleet, president of the Fresno chapter of the California Restaurant Association and owner of Vino Grille & Spirits.
“By no means does this make it viable for restaurants to survive. We have to get to indoor dining at 50% at some point in order for us to survive,” he said at a news conference with Mayor Jerry Dyer Monday that also focused on asking residents to wear masks at local businesses.
But returning to outdoor dining is a big deal because it allows restaurants to put more people back to work, said Alex Costa, owner of the three Mad Duck locations.
His two brewery-restaurants – one at Campus Pointe and the other at Marks and Herndon avenues – have been employing about 30 people combined doing just takeout.
With outdoor dining, they’ll employ about 100 people.
It comes with a cost though. To make their patio space comfortable, Mad Duck had tenting material specially made that will act as a windscreen and keep in heat from the heaters. It cost “tens of thousands” of dollars, he said.
“It was money that we didn’t have to spend, but at the same time, … we’ve got to invest in guests’ comfort,” he said. “You just make the best of the situation and grin and bear it.”
The restaurant isn’t making a profit, but Costa said he’s not going to give up and close.
“Oh, there’s no money being made,” he said. “It’s just an issue of how much money’s being lost. At this point, you’re sort of managing a bleed, you’re not managing a profit.”
This story was originally published January 27, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
