A Fresno favorite brews up downtown plan. Cracked Pepper to reopen City Hall eatery
One of Fresno’s premier restaurants and coffee purveyors is coming to downtown Fresno.
Since the pandemic, the cafeteria at Fresno City Hall has sat vacant. Soon, an award-winning local chef — Vatche Moukhtarian of the Cracked Pepper Bistro — will operate the first-floor concession, pending contract approval from the city council.
Moukhtarian said it’ll be nothing like a cafeteria.
“ We want to make it more elevated for all the employees that work there, and even the visitors that come to the city to get paperwork done,” Moukhtarian told The Bee during an interview Tuesday.
Moukhtarian has operated Cracked Pepper Bistro for 19 years. He returned home after culinary school, to where his family emigrated from Lebanon.
“We ended up in Fresno; my parents had a shoe repair shop. So Fresno is home to me,” Moukhtarian said.
The full menu from his Cracked Pepper Bistro in north Fresno won’t make it to City Hall. One reason, Moukhtarian said, is to keep the menu affordable. Although not dictating specific food or price points, the city lease calls for affordable options. He is planning items ranging from $5 to $14.
Moukhtarian said he is still developing the menu, but it will include sandwiches and breakfast items — bagels, chili bread and breakfast burritos.
“We want to offer them really nice drinks and lattes and cappuccinos — and even some grab-and-go foods, and also some hot food that we’re going to be preparing on the premises,” Moukhtarian said.
One favorite will also be there: “ The bread pudding,” Moukhtarian said, “is definitely going to make it to the menu.”
Moukhtarian did not offer an exact date for when he moves in. The lease estimates a Nov. 1 opening.
The public, as well as City Hall employees, are welcome.
The coffee
Cracked Pepper Café will also feature its signature Sanctuary Coffee brand.
“They’ll be getting fresh coffee that’s roasted weekly and not something that’s been sitting on a shelf for a while,” Moukhtarian said.
Moukhtarian imports his coffee, mostly from Central and South America. All coffee is 82 points or more on the cupping score — a measurement system on a 100-point scale to determine quality.
He already has his City Hall coffee menu in mind.
“We want to focus on classic stuff, cappuccinos, lattes, macchiatos, special shots. We’re not going to venture out a huge menu. ... We’re going to focus on high-quality coffee that people enjoy, and it’s going to be in small production,” Moukhtarian said.
About the lease
The initial three years of the lease will not require Cracked Pepper Café to make any rent payments. Both parties have a mutual option to extend the lease for a fourth and fifth year. If so, rent will be $1,464 a month in Year 4; and $1,507 a month for Year 5. The city will cover utility fees, including electricity, water and sewer.
The city will renovate the space, spending up to $615,000 over two years, City Manager Georgeanne White told The Bee. That includes almost everything — cabinets, countertops, sinks, lighting, refrigerators, ovens, ice machines, tables and chairs.
That does not mean there is no risk for Moukhtarian.
“It’s not the best time to (open a restaurant) in the current situation,” Moukhtarian said. But, he says there is opportunity.
“Downtown has always been lacking stuff, so I think going forward, you’re going to see a lot more businesses opening in downtown Fresno, because it’s such a big market. You have a lot of people living in or working in downtown Fresno, so I’m excited about that.”
He plans to hire 10 employees downtown.
Generally, the café will run 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on days City Hall is open. The eatery could stay open longer on nights when the government has night meetings.
The city council still has to approve the contract at its Thursday meeting. This is expected. The mayor’s office already issued a news release about Cracked Pepper Café coming.
