The first Pickled Deli location opened in Visalia on January 2020. A full two years later into the pandemic, a second location opens in Fresno March 1. Photos via Nick Huerta.

The Visalia native who went out on his own to create a sandwich shop only months before the pandemic is bringing his sandwiches to Fresno — after establishing his name and breaking through despite Covid shutdowns.

Owner Nick Huerta of The Pickled Deli is opening at 7753 N. First St. March 1, taking over the former Full O Bull in North Fresno. This will be the second shop after Huerta debuted the first Pickled Deli in Visalia in January 2020, just before the most restrictive quarantine of the pandemic.

 

Huerta had gone out on his own, starting the sandwich shop after separating from Deli Delicious only a month before.

Rebranding meant not only changing the menu and look of the store but also revamping his online and social media presence.

What he didn’t expect was a complete shift in consumer habits following Covid shutdowns.

With numerous workplaces closed, people found food online. But only being open a number of months, people didn’t know to look for The Pickled Deli.

Search engine results might place The Pickled Deli No. 10 on a list.

“March, April, May were challenging in the sense of really having to rebrand yourself as non-corporate,” Huerta said.

He had to reinvent how he would do business. Food delivery apps became the name of the game, going from 20% of business to 50%.

But his experience in the sandwich game gave him a regular clientele and Huerta established himself as one of only a couple owner-operated sandwich shops in Visalia, he said.

He bore through and found himself quite busy in Visalia. But being raised in Fresno and being an alum of Buchanan High School, Huerta wanted to be close to his second home. He had tried to break through into Fresno, but contract limitations with his former franchisor made finding new spots difficult.

Then, in October 2021, he had heard that the owner of the Full O Bull location in north Fresno was retiring and closing up shop. There are still numerous Full O Bull delis throughout the Central Valley.

Delis like to open up in former deli locations, Huerta says. Not only do shoppers know that spot for sandwiches, but build-outs are already accommodated for that purpose without needing unnecessary kitchen equipment.

Being close to home, the location was perfect for him.

“That’s a double-edged sword,” Huerta said. “I live so close I might work too much.”

In addition to sandwiches, Huerta also has fried pickles, something he says no one else has. But he’s also tinkering with a pickle soup he wife makes. He said it tastes similar to zucchini soup with a dill taste. “It’s nothing crazy,” Huerta said. The problem is taking a family recipe and producing it to scale.

Additionally, Huerta has taken on corn hole and hopes to begin hosting games at the location.

Huerta grew up eating Full O Bull in Clovis and he said he wants to incorporate some of the legacy into the Pickled Deli, including a sandwich and framing an iconic piece of wallpaper he found.

“Where it’s at is paying respect to what was because you want the blessings from what will be,” Huerta said.