Macaroni Grill in Fresno’s River Park is being torn down. Here’s what’s happening next
The back wall and roof of Romano’s Macaroni Grill in Fresno were crumbling to the ground Monday as machinery tore down the restaurant.
Demolition on the River Park restaurant on Blackstone Avenue started last week, when cranes removed air-conditioning units. The entire process is expected to take all week.
The restaurant, which was built in 1998, closed in March of last year. The company did not share details of why it closed.
What’s going to replace it?
We don’t know yet. River Park does not have a business lined up yet for that spot, said spokesperson Tracy Kashian.
Rather, the shopping center is readying the property for someone new to come in. “It’s going to be a blank slate for a tenant to come in,” she said.
The spot is in a busy shopping center on a high-profile corner facing Blackstone Avenue that gets lots of traffic. Those are all things that big-name businesses – including ones that might be new to the area or not – look for when searching for a new location.
And it might not necessarily be a restaurant, Kashian noted.
“What we do know is we want to get something really great there,” she said. “I think we have the potential to get something really amazing for Fresno.”
This story was originally published April 6, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
