After 38 years, Sunnyside Delicatessen has closed. But it is also up for sale. Image via Sunnyside Deli Facebook page.

Lovers of a recently closed Fresno deli may still get a chance to eat the sandwiches that filled Central Valley bellies for over three decades.

Margaret Riley, owner of Sunnyside Deli, decided to find a buyer for her sandwich rather than simply close, said Alex Stumpf, broker with Stumpf and Co., which is listing the business.

After announcing she was going to retire, Riley had received an outpouring of requests from customers who loved the brand, Stumpf said. Three weeks after closing, people were still coming to the door or calling to ask for one more sandwich. People were even arriving from out of town wanting to buy food they had from their younger days.

“They’ve had such a large following, it was a shock to find out they were going to close Sunnyside Deli,” Stumpf said.

Now interest has turned to buying the business. The name means a good deal in the community and someone who buys the business is buying something recognizable, said Stumpf.

The sandwich shop is being listed for $45,000. That comes with fixtures, equipment and a beer and wine license.

Stumpf said despite what the pandemic has done to restaurants, people are still interested in buying them with an eye toward the future. They’ve received calls from other restaurant owners, retired teachers and salon owners.

Stumpf said while Riley won’t necessarily miss making sandwiches anymore, she said she will miss the customers. She saw multiple generations of customers through her nearly four decades in business.

“That speaks volumes to what kind of business owner she was and the food she served and the quality customer service,” Stumpf said.

 

Rooftop bar a reality

Downtown Fresno’s first rooftop bar will finally become just that as it will soon allow patrons into its own space.

Quail State announced on its Facebook page that it is now taking reservations for its rooftop patio and indoor portion when it debuts Wednesday.

Seating is limited, the post reads, and people will only be able to access the rooftop with a reservation. Seating at the bar will be first-come-first-serve. Masks will be required.

Because people live and do business in the Pacific Southwest Building, they’ve also asked people to be respectful of neighbors. There is a staircase with a wheelchair lift to get to the rooftop.

The craft cocktail bar is located on the second floor of Downtown Fresno’s Pacific Southwest Building. Up until now, it had been operating on the street level of Mariposa Street.

For the first couple weeks, they will have to stop doing business at the floor level while they figure out the logistics of serving people on two floors, said Josh Islas-Wolf, cofounder and owner of Quail State. They will probably have to hire more people to accommodate the demand, he said. They currently have 24 people on staff after several rounds of hiring.

Reservations are already beginning to fill up since they made the announcement Thursday. Some have been made a month out in advance.

For the beginning they will only have six tables out on the rooftop. Once a few additions are made, they will be able to expand that, but for the time being, it works well with social distancing measures, Islas-Wolf said.

They’ve recently updated their menu with 24 new items. They’ve started to transition to small plate, shareable dishes, said Islas-Wolf.

Reception at the craft cocktail bar has been nothing but growing since opening weekend.

Islas-Wolf said the process to get approval was one two years in the making.

 

Lookie, a cookie

The cookie baker known for their enormous cookies found a permanent home in Northwest Fresno. Crave Cookie held their grand opening Friday at their shop and drive-thru at 6525 N. Riverside Dr., Ste. 101, in the Marketplace at El Paseo. The owners of Crave Cookie, Shandi and Travis Scrivner, had previously operated as a delivery company, serving a variety of cookie flavors throughout Fresno. They also offered their product at Kuppa Joy coffee locations.

They will have a hiring event April 16 and April 17.

In the store, they will have chocolate chip, churro and sugar cookies as permanent fixtures, according to their Facebook. They are still doing deliveries via their website, DoorDash, Ubereats and Grubhub.