These four restaurants have closed, but new places are opening in Fresno, Clovis
It’s been a tumultuous few weeks in the Fresno restaurant scene.
Some high-profile places have closed, yet the area is seeing an influx of new restaurants, including several chains.
At least one eatery couldn’t survive the pandemic.
Most owners didn’t want to talk about why they closed.
In addition to challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic, other difficulties facing the industry could have played a role, like rising costs and a labor shortage. (And sometimes restaurateurs just decide to retire or not renew their leases even if business is good.)
But it’s not all bad news.
The Fresno-Clovis area is seeing an influx of new places to eat and drink, including a chain coffee shop, dessert shop and a franchised sandwich shop.
One national pizza place is in the process of opening three locations in our area and a local Italian favorite is planning a new location.
Keep reading to find out who’s coming and going.
Restaurants closing
Rio Grill Brazilian Steakhouse at Sierra Vista Mall has closed.
For several weeks, a sign on the door said the restaurant was closed “until further notice.”
But the closure is permanent, according to a message sent from the business’s Facebook page to The Bee. The message thanked customers for 13 years of support and “beautiful memories.”
It did not say why the restaurant closed.
Farm Fresh Bowls at Campus Pointe near Fresno State closed abruptly last weekend after six years.
The healthy restaurant serving acai and other bowls announced its closure on its Instagram account, thanking its customers.
It also said Raw Earth Juicery would be opening in the spot.
The Visalia Farm Fresh Bowls location with a drive-thru will remain open. Gift certificates purchased in Fresno can be redeemed there.
Big Kahuna Frozen Yogurt at Sierra Vista Mall is closed permanently.
Despite a sign on the door saying it was closed due to “excessive heat + broken AC,” the shop just couldn’t survive the COVID-19 pandemic, said owner Freddy Garcia.
“The pandemic was just a little bit too much, and rent – and the movie theater used to be a big draw for us,” he said. “It was tough to weather.”
Fort Blossom Cafe at Friant and Fort Washington roads has been closed for weeks, its phone line disconnected.
Fort Blossom was a family-run restaurant and bar with a big menu that opened in 2017 serving American, Mexican and other cuisines.
The owners could not be reached for comment.
Restaurants opening
Though it’s always sad to see restaurants go, the area is getting an influx of new places to eat and drink.
Most are still in the getting ready stage, but a few are open.
Round Table Pizza is in the process of opening three locations in Fresno and Clovis.
One pizza shop already opened in August at Champlain Drive and Shepherd Avenue, near Chiffonos Bakery. It’s dubbed Round Table Pizza Royalty.
Another is set to open at the Marketplace at El Paseo, the shopping center near Highway 99 and Herndon Avenue. It is scheduled to open by the end of December.
A third is headed for Clovis at Sierra Vista Mall.
Round Table is moving into in one of the mall’s buildings near Shaw Avenue, which used to house Starbucks and Baja Fresh Mexican Grill.
Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is still coming to Fresno.
Fresno got excited back in 2019 when the company signed a lease to open in a newly constructed building in the Park Crossing shopping center at Friant Road and Fresno Street.
It’s taken a little longer than expected to open, given the pandemic and supply chain delays, according to a Coffee Bean spokesperson. But the Fresno location is still happening, she said.
The company is hoping to open by the end of the year.
DiCicco’s Italian Restaurant, the family-run, locally owned restaurant, is building its newest location at Shields and Armstrong avenues.
The DiCicco’s in Oakhurst closed in September so its owners could focus on the new location.
Construction on the new restaurant in Fresno is more than 80% done.
If all goes as planned, the restaurant will open during the first week of January.
Beard Papa’s, the dessert shop specializing in cream puffs, is coming to The Trading Post shopping center at Herndon and Clovis avenues, next to Baskin-Robbins.
Not much happened after The Bee announced the company had signed a lease, but work is now well underway. It is also hiring.
The company did not respond to a message about when the location would open.
West Coast Sourdough is opening several sandwich shops in our area.
The latest opened last week in the former Firehouse Subs spot at the Fowler and Herndon avenues in Clovis. It’s in the same shopping center as Vons and is located between Mountain Mike’s Pizza and Dickey’s Barbecue Pit.
The franchise’s first location opened in May on West Shaw Avenue in Fresno.
Another is headed for the southeast corner of Herndon and Brawley avenues.
The lunch and dinner menu at West Coast Sourdough includes 20 sandwiches, such as pastrami, BLT, French dip, and a veggie sandwich that can be made vegan.
This story was originally published November 3, 2021 at 9:07 AM.
