The year that killed Fresno restaurants. At least 37 eateries closed in 2024

[Pelican Press 0]

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The year that killed Fresno restaurants. At least 37 eateries closed in 2024

It was a terrible year for Fresno-area restaurants.

At least 37 of them closed — more than in previous recent years and even during the dark days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

No agency officially tracks how many restaurants close each year. But The Bee’s restaurant reporter has kept a tally of eateries in the Fresno-Clovis area shutting down each year.

Though some closures may have fallen through the cracks and the numbers are anecdotal, past stories show that

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,

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,

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, and more than 20 each in

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and 2018.

There’s a long list of reasons why they are closing that the Bee’s reporting has covered throughout the year:

Inflation, especially the rising cost of food.

Rising rents as real estate costs catch up with the rest of the state.

Power bills, with several restaurateurs saying they pay more than $10,000 or $20,000 in summer months when temperatures regularly hit the triple digits.

Health issues or restaurateurs wanting to retire with no one to take over the business.

And some of the closures are simply the normal comings and goings of restaurants that happen even in good years.

It’s not all bad news, after all. The Bee recently reported that

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last year when it asked readers to pick their favorite. (Spoiler alert:

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.)

But while we move into the new year, let’s take a moment to notice the restaurants that won’t be there to serve us anymore.

The Fresno-Clovis area restaurants that closed in 2024

Blast & Brew, formerly Piazza Del Pane, opened in northwest Fresno near Palm and Herndon avenues in 2022. It features self-serve craft beer taps, a full bar, gourmet pizzas, sandwiches and what company president/CEO John Ferdinandi calls “sophisticated comfort food.”

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closed its

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, though its other locations remain open.

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last two locations in Fresno

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. That includes the original, which has

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.

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, the

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, announced its closure in September.

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on Blackstone Avenue

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early in the year, and the building later caught on fire. It’s other locations remain open.

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closed in August when its lease was up,

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power bills are high, people are eating out less, and “it’s tough in California.”

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on Herndon Avenue in Clovis, has closed, but Rustika Cafe and Bakery has already

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.

Guests taste the food and drinks at The Brunch Bar in Clovis during a test run for the restaurant on Tuesday, May 9, 2023.

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closed its restaurant at Bullard and West avenues, its owners wanting to travel more and saying,

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Its other location on Herndon Avenue and neighboring

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restaurant remain open.

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in the

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, but the owner is vowing to reopen it.

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closed its Fresno location due to

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, but its Clovis shop is still going strong.

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, the breakfast spot at Marks and Herndon avenues,

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, with a newcomer already working on moving in.

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closed its First Street and Shaw Avenue location,

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. The other locations remain open.

The DiCicco’s Italian Restaurant at First Street and Shaw Avenue has closed after more than 40 years in business.

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in downtown Fresno

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. It’s been replaced by

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.

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on Clovis Avenue closed last summer, the owner

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(two other locations in Fresno closed the previous year).

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closed after two years in Chinatown for several reasons, including the

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.

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at Sierra Vista Mall closed, with the owner telling YourCentralValley.com that

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. The Fashion Fair location is open.

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in southeast Fresno

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, with no signs of reopening.

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in downtown Fresno, run by students in the Fresno County Office of Education’s adult transition program, has closed.

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after the property owner planned to build a gas station on its site at Shields and West avenues.

Judy Taing, left, with her mother Lee Taing, center, and sister Katie Taing, right, talk about their impending move after the property owner gave them notice to leave, closing down the family’s Lucky’s Donut House location after over 30 years at Shields and West avenues. Photographed Monday, May 20, 2024.

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on Fulton Street in downtown Fresno closed in October,

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.

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opening due to family health issues, but

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Avenue is still open.

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closed temporarily after a fire in 2023, but the owner said last summer he would “

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” after ongoing issues with homelessness and police at the site.

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abruptly closed both its locations in Fresno and Clovis in May, eventually shutting down

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.

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in Kingsburg closed in April, the

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after it expired.

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closed after 42 years on Ashlan Avenue after

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.

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bar downtown has closed, but it’s up for *****, and

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, a former manager said.

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at Fashion Fair mall has been closed for weeks, though it’s not clear if it’s a permanent closure.

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in north Fresno

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“for a number of private reasons,” and also cited COVID-19, inflation, staff shortages and “rules and regulations imposed on the restaurant industry.”

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closed after 44 years in February, blaming an avalanche of challenges,

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.

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at Cedar and Nees avenues closed last year and was replaced by Indian restaurant

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.

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, the cupcake shop in River Park, closed last year.

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on Clovis and Ashlan avenues

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. It’s now a

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.

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closed just two days into 2024, one of dozens to close nationwide.

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, a 34-year-old Armenian institution in Reedley, closed. The owner never said why, but

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.

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, along with its Fig Garden Village spot.

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at the Marketplace at El Paseo closed, but family-owned

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.

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closed late last year after transitioning from a food truck to a brick-and-mortar restaurant.

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at Granite Park stayed open until the very last day of the year and

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. The owner has been vocal about the difficulty of doing business in California, including a $21,300 power bill in one month. His other restaurant locations remain open.

Staff begin clearing out supplies at the Granite Park Yosemite Falls Cafe location on Cedar Avenue between Ashlan and Dakota avenues Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 in Fresno.

A downtown Reedley fixture Uncle Harry’s Classic Meals, located at G and 12th streets, is now closed.

Sno-White Drive-In on Clovis Avenue near Ashlan Avenue has closed after 45 years in business. .

The Sandwich Works on Ashlan Ave. near Fresno Street has closed. Photographed Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 in Fresno.

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#year #killed #Fresno #restaurants #eateries #closed

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