Apology follows River Park Asian vendor ban in Fresno. It’s not enough, some say
Asian food sellers are welcomed back at River Park events and an apology has been issued.
The shopping center and organizers of the Tuesday farmers market and the Saturday food truck event posted a statement on social media Friday morning saying vendors would be reinstated in the market. They could be back as soon as Saturday.
The statement said they were establishing a “long overdue process” reviewing mobile food sellers in a way that complements — not competes with — brick-and-mortar tenants of the shopping center.
The process is still being developed, but could possibly focus on making sure menu items don’t compete with restaurants, instead of kicking food vendors that potentially do out of events.
The announcement stems from a controversy that arose over the weekend when Asian food sellers at the Tuesday River Park Farmers Market and the Saturday Fresno Street Eats were told they could no longer sell at the events. Vendors said the directive came from River Park, not the organizers of the events, which are separate organizations.
The change was driven by a complaint from a tenant at the shopping center about competition. Lin’s Restaurant Group denied the complaint came from its restaurants, which include Spicy J’s, J-Pot, J-tea and Japanese restaurant O-iza. That leaves only P.F. Chang’s Asian Bistro that competes with food trucks at the events.
The restaurant did not return messages seeking comment.
The move to ban Asian vendors was met with anger, with many people calling it “racist.” Some called for a boycott of River Park.
Three Filipino businesses posted a statement on Instagram saying the move was “disrespectful.” They asked for a public apology, an explanation and an open dialogue with the vendors.
The statement posted Friday by River Park and the other organizations said assessment of vendors at the market “should have been handled better and communicated differently, with greater sensitivity for long-standing market participants. ... We sincerely apologize for these communication missteps and going forward are developing a process responsive to the concerns raised.”
Fresno Street Eats founder Mike Osegueda said via text: “We had many meetings with River Park management and are proud of the collaborative solution here. You’ll see some of (your) favorite vendors back as soon as Saturday.
Representatives of River Park were not immediately available for comment and neither was California Fresh Farmers Market Association (which operates the Tuesday farmers market) executive director Peter DeYoung.
Reaction from Asian vendors
Reactions from the public and vendors were mixed Friday.
Natalie Sakkakhanaune-Simmavong, who handles scheduling for Sticky Rice on Wheels Lao food trailer said it was “great news” that they’d been asked back to the market and their regular Tuesday gig.
“We’d love to go back,” she said.
But she still had questions about the review process and what menu items are approved.
“Can we get an idea of what we can and cannot sell?” she said. “That will determine if we can go back or not.”
However, many people said there was something missing from River Park’s statement, including Brandy Alcoseba, who owns the Filipino food truck El Jabalito with husband Jake.
She’s not Filipino and he is, but he was busy prepping to sell lumpia and other dishes from the truck Friday night.
“There was still not the words ‘We’re sorry to the Asian community,’” she said. “That was one of the things that we all wanted to hear, to have validated.”
The food truck has been invited back to the Saturday events, but the owners haven’t decided if they’ll return yet. Being uninvited based on being Asian was “hurtful,” she said.
“It doesn’t matter the race or ethnicity. If there’s one group that’s pointed out in that way — whether it’s all Hispanic trucks need to go, all Black trucks need to go — to say it in that way, it’s so discriminatory,” she said. “We should be beyond that already.”
It was a sentiment echoed by many on social media. The Filipina owner of Maarte, a community space in downtown Fresno, posted a statement about River Park’s statement saying “It is Not Enough.”
Hapa California Coffee, a Filipina-owned business, put it more bluntly on River Park’s Instagram post: “Why is it so hard to say you’re sorry to the people you actually hurt?? ASIANS!!!”
This story was originally published April 18, 2025 at 11:10 AM.
