Marie Callender’s is finally reopening a Fresno restaurant. Here’s what you need to know
You can once again get a chicken pot pie at Marie Callender’s in Fresno.
The restaurant at Shaw and Cedar avenues is reopening for takeout orders starting at 11 a.m. Sunday, March 7.
It’s technically been open since Thanksgiving, but selling only pies.
Back in August of 2019, the company abruptly closed both this location and the one on north Blackstone Avenue, before a franchisee decided to reopen the Shaw location. The Blackstone location is up for lease and will not reopen.
Marie Callender’s is offering a takeout menu of all its comfort food classics, including sandwiches, burgers, and of course, pie. There are also family meals that feed four to six people.
But since we’re still in a COVID-19 pandemic, it’s not back to business as usual.
The restaurant is only open for takeout orders, not indoor nor outdoor dining.
Since the restaurant doesn’t have a patio and is surrounded by parking lot, management decided to not offer outdoor dining, said Bikrim Samra, managing partner of the franchise that owns this Marie Callender’s location.
Customers have been anticipating the restaurant’s reopening so much that they pushed up the original reopening date, he said.
“We are getting so many requests every time they come in to pick up pies,” he said. “That’s why we ended up rushing to open up early as this Sunday.”
How to order food
There are several ways for Marie Callender’s customers to order food. The limited menu is live on its website and accessible through a QR code on its Facebook page.
Orders can be placed via the website. Customers can also stop by to order in person, or order by calling 559-449-3104.
Customers can also order through DoorDash, and will soon be able to order through Grubhub and Uber Eats, he said.
For now, the restaurant will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. The hours may expand depending upon demand, with plans to open for weekend breakfasts at the end of March.
Indoor dining
Indoor dining is still not allowed under California’s coronavirus restrictions.
The restaurant plans to open for indoor dining at 25% as soon as it’s allowed, Samra said, adding that he hoped it would be soon.
Fresno County is still in the purple Tier 1 of the state’s color-coded system that governs business reopenings based on risk of viral transmission. It is inching closer to the red tier, which will allow restaurants to seat diners inside at 25 percent capacity or 100 people — whichever is fewer.
Details: Marie Callender’s is at 1781 E. Shaw Ave., 559-449-3104. Hours: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
This story was originally published March 5, 2021 at 4:38 PM.
