The restaurant Fire Wings has had its sign hanging on a building in northwest Fresno since at least last summer.

Fire Wings, specializing in chicken wings and beer, had planned to open its first Fresno location in the Marketplace at El Paseo, the shopping center near Highway 99 and Herndon Avenue.

But now the sign is gone.

It was replaced recently with a sign for another restaurant, Bag O’ Crab.

It’s in an outbuilding in front of Hobby Lobby near the southern end of the center.

So what’s up with the change?

Neither Fire Wings nor Bag O’ Crab corporate offices returned The Bee’s messages, so we don’t know their reasons for the switch for sure.

But the retail broker handling leasing at the center confirmed that both restaurants in Fresno have the same owner. The owner could not be reached for comment about why the switch happened.

But it happened not long after news broke that the center would have four chicken-focused restaurants.

Four chicken restaurants?

Regular Bee readers will remember when we told you about Chicken Shack opening in a former Dickey’s Barbecue Pit in the center last winter.

Then Angry Chickz brought its Nashville hot chicken concept to the center in March, taking over the former Chronic Tacos spot.

In March, Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, the popular drive-thru chain, announced plans to open near the intersection of Herndon Avenue and Riverside Drive, likely in an empty plot of land near the center’s northern entrance.

Together with Fire Wings, that would be four chicken-centric restaurants in one shopping center.

Many business owners don’t like having even one competing business in the same center because it can put a dent in business.

What’s Bag O’ Crab?

Bag O’ Crab is a Cajun and Creole seafood restaurant with locations in Merced and Modesto. It also has several restaurants scattered around the Bay Area and the western United States.

It serves Dungeness crab, lobster, shrimp, crawfish and more.

You can get combos that include seafood, corn on the cob, potatoes and sausage, all mixed in a bag with your choice of seasoning.

The sauces range in spiciness from no spice to “on fire XX.”

Some non-seafood options are available, too, including garlic noodles, chicken wings, and beef short ribs.

Both the Modesto and Merced locations sometimes use robots to deliver food to tables.

Although much of the interior work in the restaurant is done, with tables and chairs ready to go, it still could be many weeks or months before the restaurant is ready to open.

This story was originally published May 10, 2022 at 7:00 AM.

Bethany Clough

The Fresno Bee

(559) 441-6431

Bethany Clough covers restaurants and retail for The Fresno Bee. A reporter for more than 20 years, she now works to answer readers’ questions about business openings, closings and other business news. She has a degree in journalism from Syracuse University and her last name is pronounced Cluff.