A Sunday night kitchen fire at Pismo's Coastal Grill dealt another financial blow to owner Dave Fansler who's already endured months of COVID-19 shutdowns. Fansler says 2020 will go down as his worst financial year ever. He says his employees have already endured, closures, the heat of the summer in a...
Pismo’s Owner to City, State Officials: We’ll See You in Court
Maybe Mayor Lee Brand needs to find another seafood restaurant to dine at. Dave Fansler, the proprietor of Pismo's Coastal Grill and other restaurants, has filed a claim against the city claiming an unfair use of code enforcement. A lawsuit will follow, his lawyer said. Another suit is planned against...
Owner Relents on Indoor Dining, Erects Tent Outside Restaurant’s Front Door
After hitting an impasse with city and county officials over the operation of his northwest Fresno restaurant, the owner of Pismo's Coastal Grill confirmed he's stopped offering indoor dining and will focus on getting folks outside. "We're starting tent patio dining tomorrow (Friday)," Dave Fansler said in a text message. Multiple...
Defiant Restaurant Owner Hires Top Attorney to Challenge Closure Orders
Dave Fansler says he's called the dining space at his Pismo's Coastal Grill restaurant a patio for well over a decade now. The Fresno County Health Department says it falls under the definition of indoor dining, which is prohibited under the state's COVID-19 emergency order. Fansler has continued to serve...
PD Commission’s Celedon Declines to Explain ‘Burn it Down’ Tweet
In its first public meeting Monday, the Fresno Commission on Police Reform's second-in-command, Sandra Celedon, declined to explain a controversial tweet after the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. Also in Politics 101: Police Reform commissioners want more time. Another Fresno police committee is still active. County...
Friday Lunch Bunch Shows Support for Shuttered Fresno Eateries
While dine-in portions of restaurants in Fresno remain closed because of shelter-in-place orders, a group of foodies have created their own table experience. In the nearly-empty parking lot at the Villagio Shopping Center at Blackstone and Nees avenues, nearly 30 people brought their own tables and chairs for a luncheon....
City Warns of ‘Criminal Prosecution’ for Defying COVID Orders. Restaurant Owner Faults Mayor.
Dave Fansler hoped to reopen Pismo's Coastal Grill on Thursday. While the popular seafood restaurant wouldn't be packed — Fansler said seating would be restricted to 38% in the name of physical distancing — it would help the restaurateur get his business reopened. Fansler scrapped those plans when he received...