‘Closed until further notice.’ What’s up with this Fresno-area franchise?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- All 3 Fresno-area Hummus Republics were closed -- at least temporarily -- as of May 15.
- The Visalia Hummus Republic closed April 30 after about five years in business.
- The 2025 franchise disclosure documents lists a 6% royalty fee and a 2% marketing fee.
All three Hummus Republic restaurants in the Fresno area are closed — at least for now.
The two Fresno locations of the build-your-own Mediterranean bowl franchise have “Closed until further notice” signs on their doors as of Friday, May 15.
The Visalia restaurant, which had a different owner, closed April 30.
The restaurants are franchises, meaning local owners pay a fee and a percentage of their restaurants’ income to the Southern California-based company that created and markets the brand. Hummus Republic has more than 30 locations open nationwide.
The Fresno owners could not be reached for comment.
The Visalia location of the restaurant on Mooney Boulevard closed April 30 after about five years in business.
The person behind the Visalia Hummus Republic Instagram page told a reporter from The Bee: “I had a horrible experience with the franchise, and my lease is up. I decided not to (re-sign).”
They did not respond to further questions.
An Instagram post thanked people for being more than just customers.
“You’ve been our neighbors and friends,” it said. “We are so proud to have served this community for the past 5 years.”
Fresno Hummus Republic restaurants
The first downtown Fresno location opened in May 2021 (after delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic) at 2424 Tulare Ave., near N Street.
It served healthy bowls and sandwiches made with falafel, chicken or beef topped with vegetables and various kinds of hummus made from chickpeas and other ingredients.
In 2022, when Wahoo’s Fish Tacos next to GB3 at Palm and Nees avenues closed, a second Hummus Republic by the same owners and with the same landlord opened in the spot.
As of Friday, the north Fresno location was no longer listed on the company’s website and the phone was disconnected.
The downtown Hummus Republic is still listed on the website.
The company’s franchise coordinator, William Fuentes, responded to The Bee’s questions in an email, but did not go into specifics about what was happening with restaurants in Visalia or Fresno.
“Like any franchise system, individual locations are independently owned and operated by local franchisees, and from time to time franchisee circumstances change,” he said. “We cannot comment on the specific circumstances of individual franchise locations or franchisee relationships, as those are private business matters.”
A location in Alameda also closed earlier this month.
However, the Hummus Republic brand continues to grow, with new locations in the works for several markets, Fuentes said. About 20 are listed as “coming soon” on the company’s website.
Restaurants of all types are facing challenges lately, as expenses continue to rise and consumers pull back on eating out.
Franchises have a different business model than independently owned restaurants. Instead of building a brand from scratch, they rely on an already existing concept.
According to a 2025 franchise disclosure document posted online, Hummus Republic franchisees must invest between $207,500 and $659,000, including $51,500 to $74,000 that goes to the franchisor.
They also pay weekly royalty fees that are 6% of the restaurant’s gross income, the document said. Another 2% goes to a brand development fund for expenses such as national marketing and advertising campaigns.
