A bar lauded for downtown Fresno revitalization has sold to new owners. What will change?
Quail State, the downtown Fresno rooftop cocktail bar, has been sold to new owners.
The bar will remain open, with plans to keep the business much the same including keeping the workers and the craft cocktails, beer and wine.
But there will be one big change: The new owners want to amp up the food menu and make it into a bar and restaurant.
Business owners Mandip Singh and Amritpaul Singh (who are not related) are locals who were excited about the business’s concept.
“When I heard about Quail State, I was really stoked about it and when it finally came on sale one day, it was a great opportunity for us,” Mandip Singh said.
Both have worked in the food and beverage field, owning truck stops, a liquor store and being part of family-run restaurants in Las Vegas.
They also recently opened Kung Fu Tea, a boba shop at the southeast corner of Willow and Nees avenues in Clovis.
Rooftop bar in Fresno
Quail State, in the historic Pacific Southwest Building on Fulton Street, just celebrated its second anniversary. It opened at a time when rooftop bars — though popular in other cities — were almost unheard of in Fresno.
The craft cocktails are the star of the show at the bar, using seasonal ingredients like fresh cucumber, strawberries and pineapple.
In addition to the outdoor portion of the bar atop the building’s ballroom, the business also has a small indoor area.
Founder Josh Islas-Wolf grew up in Dinuba and lived in Fresno for a time before moving to Los Angeles, where he met his wife, Hayley Islas-Wolf.
They moved to Fresno to open the bar. Now, they’re moving back to L.A.
They will continue to run the smaller natural wine bar Saint J (which recently changed its name from Saint Joaquin to avoid confusion with a winery) in the Peerless Building downtown at Broadway and Amador streets.
“After spending a couple of years putting our blood, sweat and tears into this, it was taking a toll on us,” he said. “When you run a bar as busy as Quail State is, it’s really hard to make time for yourself.”
He said they want to focus on what makes them happy, and that’s living in L.A., closer to Hayley’s family. He said they had always planned to start a business and sell it eventually.
He is already working as a marketing director of a watch company and his wife continues to work as a regional vice president in sales for an education-related company.
He declined to say how much Quail State sold for.
Rumors of a sale have been swirling for months after a liquor license transfer application was posted in the window of the building.
The sale finally closed escrow and the liquor license has been transferred. The switchover happens this week.
Josh Islas-Wolf said he was happy to be a part of downtown revitalization.
“We wanted to thank Fresno for supporting us for the last few years,” he said.
The food
Originally Quail State was intended to be a bar, with a focus on drinks, not food. It got its start in late 2020, when Fresno was in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Its opening date coincided with a shutdown of bar operations across the state, so in order to sell drinks, it had to sell food.
It did, always with a limited menu.
But customers sometimes complained about the lack of food options.
The new owners want increase the meal and appetizer choices. What type of food hasn’t been decided yet. That’s up to the new head chef they hired, said Mandip Singh.
“It will be great having an actual restaurant in downtown Fresno,” he said. “We differentiate with having the rooftop aspect of it.”
This story was originally published February 28, 2023 at 3:09 PM.
