A Fresno pizza place closed. Now a new pizzeria with a familiar name is open in its spot
When locally owned DaVinci’s Pizza closed its restaurant at the northwest corner of Herndon and Marks avenues, the neighborhood was sad to see it go.
People mourned the closure on a Facebook page dedicated to the neighborhood.
“A classic,” one person called it.
A sign on the door of the empty restaurant says, “To all of our loyal patrons over the years: I am sad to say sales have been an on-going struggle at this location. This location is closed.”
It goes on to invite customers to the DaVinci’s at Willow and Alluvial avenues.
But the pizza restaurant at Herndon and Marks won’t stay empty for a long. A Pizza Factory has moved into the spot.
David Danenberg, who grew up in Tulare, opened the Pizza Factory franchise at the location last week.
He also has a small business selling gourmet hot dogs at Big Hat Days and other events, and is moved to Fresno to run the Pizza Factory.
Pizza Factory
The restaurant won’t have tables inside, even after COVID-19 has passed. It is a smaller, express version of Pizza Factory’s other locations, he said.
It also delivers.
In addition to pizza, the restaurant sells pasta, including spaghetti and meatballs, lasagna, fettuccine Alfredo, and salads.
“It’s all high quality in-house made stuff,” he said. “We make everything fresh every day from the meatballs to the dough that we use.”
The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays, and from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
Since he’ll be focusing on just one location, Danenberg thinks the spot can be successful.
Pizza Factory has one other location in Fresno with different owners, on First Street south of Nees Avenue and several locations in outlying communities.
This story was originally published February 4, 2021 at 11:17 AM.
