or malls, yuck. Just what Fresno needs is more hot black asphalt parking lots? NO NO NO! Let us locals get some loans for businesses to put into all these places that have boarded up retail sites!

Show us the local money to get local artists and craftspeople out there selling their burgers, pizza's, clothes, boats, woodwork, etc... keep our money here in our community and maybe the community will return the favor by shopping at our stores?

Viva Cafe Corazon, etc.!!!

Damn do I feel like a schmuck for forgetting Corazón! Their coffee really is good. And their sandwiches hit the spot too. I guess I was only thinking about my own neighborhood, the Tower. So like, yeah, who needs Starbucks or Peet's when you have Revue, Javawava and Corazón!!!

a downtown farmer's market with live music, a beer garden and splash area for kids?

Props to Roeding Park for their splash area.

Diablo

We roast our coffee on site and bake our goods fresh daily. I personally research the coffee plantations and set a very high standard for our coffee product, both whole bean and served hot. I can make the claim because I'm not serving someone else's product, we sell what we work hard at making the best of.

We're making every effort to give downtown and Fresno a sense of pride in itself. Many have found and love our place. Find Café Corazón, find the superior product.

Locally owned, locally interactive and locally minded.

70% of money spent at a mass chain leaves the city it resides in, you can flip that when it comes to a locally owned place of business, 70% of your money spent at a locally owned and run business stays local.

We need to get the word out more.

Diablo

Leo Rios Owner/Roaster
5594853494
1145 Fulton Mall, 4 doors south of the Guarantee building

You don't need Peet's if you're itching to do something other than Starbucks. It doesn't have to be a chain. Revue's coffee is great and they're a block away from Starbucks in the Tower. Javawava is just on Echo across from Fresno High.

This whole thread is really strange as far as I'm concerned...I'm not so sure why big chain restaurants are seen as some kind of great savior when unique local businesses often do better. That said, among "Mexicanesque" chains, I wouldn't mind seeing La Salsa set up shop here. I'm the only person on earth who likes Chuy's, and they shut their Fresno location down.

Why does everyone think that getting some chain store downtome will solve all of it's problems?

I think that they would attract people/business downtown. And they have great swedish meatballs...

is that everyone on hear yap about wat we need oh D&B, Hard Rock Cafe we want HOB, Pizza By The Slice well guess wat chances are only one of these needy places will only get built in fresno...your full of shit if you think a cheap ass city will build this shit in Fresno alone downtown if the city was the next NYC no doubt we already have all these famous commercial based locations,but were not hello this is Fresno you know worst air..downtown..drop out rate..crime..city period N-O is anyone going to locate their businesses in the worst city ever...LOL!!!I think the best city hall can have locate in downtown is McDonalds haha or Ross...So I know your gonna leave retarded ass comments to my post, but it's the truth and remember I'm no city hall I'm just another resident Rustin up in lame ass Fresno USA

Ate at a Ruby Tuesdays in Honolulu because it looked so good on the commericals and I will have to say this...... Very,very disappointed.....I will agree on Fry's

I'd second the Ruby Tuesday suggestion. I'd also like a Fuddrucker's (hamburgers) and a Panera Bread. Hanford got a Panera recently, so I suspect this will happen soon. The ones in Michigan were really good, but the ones in California have been lacking in execution.

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf would be my coffee chain of choice. Don't know if 2 chains duking it out in Fresno would help the local coffee businesses or hurt 'em long term, though. We've got a Cinnabon at Sierra Vista, so that's cool.

After all that, if we got a Fry's Electronics, I don't know if I'd have to leave Fresno ever again. Or at least, slightly less than I do now.

yes rainbow ballroom is great, but nearly impossible to get a $8 beer without spilling half of the 8 ounces.

Im down for a crakcer barrel and a pizza slice place.

What Fresno needs is a Petes Coffee.Starbucks needs some real competition and besides make alot better cup of joe....

You ever try working with Leo Valdivia? Try it sometime and you'll see why there are not more shows at the Rainbow. Great place if management were different.

I'm in Fresno with my vinyl,looking for some real gigs...hardcore drum and bass, and intelligent,positive hiphop....any tips??????

For a small to middle range music venue, Cabo Wabo will do just fine when that's done. If that's still a definite go - last I heard it was.

Nah nah you can't put Bucca in the Tower. Bucca needs room. Lots of it.

Put it at Granite Park. That way it ain't in the River Park area, and it ain't far from Tower, and it'll help build central Frez.

...and I can stumble home on foot from the joint if you put it there.

the Hard Rock Cafe Fresno Idea is spreading, they could always just call it Hard Rock Cafe Yosemite.

but it will never happen.

A Dave & Buster's along with a Hard Rock Cafe in Downtown would be nice. Also a new lot with retail and a movie theatre/ mall.

I totally second that! In the tower. We need more Italian food in the Tower.

My whole point was to have something different, but fun enough to go to. And tha passed two times I went to Dave and Buster's I didn't see ANY kids... U go in tha daytime??? I was thinkin' more of their night hours to give Fresno a bit more of a nightlife.

But u may have a point on tha pricing...(although I've never played pool in there).

~Rell www.myspace.com/559rell www.myspace.com/trellthareallamane (music production)

D&B is sooooo overrated!!! Really!! I wouldn't even call it a Sports Bar. I would call it an arcade with beer!! It is WAY over priced, $15 per hour for pool tables, and caters towards "Little Billy's Birthday Party"! This would only be a great addition to Fresno if you wanted to hang out with 10 year olds.

MY VOTE: ESPN ZONE!!!

Now that is a real Sports Bar!! Great Food & over 150 HD TVs! You can't beat it. Check out the one in Downtown Disney (Anaheim) or NYNY Casino in Vegas! The only place for March Madness ACTION! This place puts D&B to shame!!!

Danielle

Ha, I was sure this would be about Drum 'n Bass.

These days, every city could use a good Drum 'n Bass night!

Or maybe we already have one ...

Bucca di beppo for SURE!
Hard rock Cafe would be awesome
House of blues needed
an aquarium
more cultural food restaurants
A real amusment park...yeah right
pro bass shop
more shops like valentinos, retro rags
vegan restaurant (unless theres one that I don't know of)
I just moved here from Vegas so if any of these things do exist...please let me know...these are things I miss!!
oh yeah and a Dicks last resort....its the restaurant where the staff is supposed to be rude to the customers...I would love to work there!

Knikki_J

Dave & Busters, no doubt!

Dave and Buster's,

That "Pizza By Tha Slice" late night type place,

and a QUIET late-night lounge that plays neo soul, REAL R&B, and reluctantly said...some smooth jazz.

"Tha Lounge" (could use that title) would have to be an upscale and plush atmosphere with unique mood lighting, open soft seats and large boothes on tha edges. I know there's places like this...but I have never been to one and would be too scared I might walk into a sex club trying to find one.

I know there are some other places i'm interested in but I'm kinda tired right now so please excuse me. :-)

~Rell www.myspace.com/559rell www.myspace.com/trellthareallamane (music production)

I'd love to see a House of Blues in downtown. But for some reason City Hall thinks a fishin' store would be better.

Rock Bottom was at the Bulldog Brew spot before (I forget why they didn't make it). I remember they had T-shirts that said "You haven't hit rock bottom till you've hit Rock Bottom in Fresno." So, no, they shouldn't come back here, those cheeky bastards!

http://www.dorktown.net

More microbreweries. Need more. Many more. No chains, no Rock Bottom (their beer sucks). I think Fresno can handle a whole slew of microbreweries. If I had the money...alas i'm poor...I would brew beer and sell it! mostly drink it, but i'd sell it too. My vote: More Microbreweries!

flop once in Fresno, or am I nuts.

Could swear they were in the Bulldog Brewing slot at Fig Garden for a time.

Rock Bottom in downtown would be great.

http://www.rockbottom.com/RockBottomWeb/RBR/Home.aspx

Pismo Fish & Chips
Kuumba Jazz Society
Santa Cruz Boardwalk
Lou's Pier 47
Bautista's Hole-in-the-Wall
Brandy Ho's

Nasty Greasy little square hamburgers, (and cheesburgers,) with the grilled onions that just slide down in two chomps... they're cheap, you can snarf them by the sack, (I used to nail 12,) -and with a cold coke and onion rings... heaven...

(--and the meat? freaks out both the vegans AND PETA... you just don't wanna know.. just buy and enjoy...)

Havn't had one since late summer of '05... and that was in Chicago... (still have the jalapeno sticker on the dash of my truck...)

Oh I would like good ol' Nordys to come downtown....but I would be quite alright with Crate and Barrel. And if Uptown Espresso could come over here from SLO, that would be heaven for me.

Speaking of Ruby Tuesday, what about Cracker Barrel? HAHA. I feel like we are missing out on some southern cooking over here.

Bucca di Beppo. It's not a very big chain.

Don't want anymore chains. Just buy it up Oz, and handle it.
Diablo

Having no events scheduled, as is currently the case with the Rainbow Ballroom, is not exactly the hallmark of a great music venue.

Oz you've had to give some thought to doing some music promoting of your own. Why not?

No more chains- including Ruby Tuesday!

A pizza by the slice place like Pizza My Heart, or Escape from New York, or Blondies would be awesome. But only if if was in walking distance in the tower and open until at least 2:30 AM.

Oh a Ruby Tuesdays...damn those commercials.

but the booking and management of the place is not on point.

the reason I suggested a place like House of Blues is because in addition to being a venue, it's also a show promoter. they would bring with fluidity, they would promote, etc.

Just saw a show there last Friday night and it rocked. I don't know that I've been to a better venue ever. Not to mention, I have not seen one bad show there ever. Every single show I have seen there has been outstanding.
Diablo

near 41 and 99 on Ventura.

Hard Rock Cafe Fresno, Ca
Located right off Highway 41 the route to Yosemite National Park, with over 100,000 cars driving by each day.
Known as the Bread Basket of the World, the All-American City. Located at the South End of the Historic Fulton mall.

If your on your way to Yosemite or just want to see cool memorabilia and rock star portraits that line the walls, then stop in a Hard Rock Cafe Fresno, for some Kick-ass rock n' roll coupled with the world's best drinks and a mouth-watering menu with the freshest local produce that'll leave you begging for more. After all... what's a day without a stop at a Hard Rock Cafe Fresno?

Maybe downtown?

A large slice and a soda for $5. If they could locate one on Olive and it stayed open to 3am, they would make a killing with the late night crowd after bars and foot traffic during the day. See Chico, Davis, or Berkeley for examples.

Since Rasputins is opening, the owner also runs Blondie's Pizza (& Buffalo Exchange)

I say Dave & Busters!

While young Fresnans would lap up a Dave & Busters (it could possibly draw a croud to downtown), Fresno desperately needs a small theatre. It could show non-blockbuster movies (the ones worth watching) more than just once a month at the Tower Theatre (maybe the Crest or the Tower).

Also:

Dear Mike Oz,
Fresno already has a mid-sized music venue. Its called the Rainbow Ballroom and it is one of the best venues I've ever been too. Let's utalize it more, maybe have it offer some 21+ shows.

Dave & Busters! You drink beer while you play video games, 'nuff said.

I would say Amoeba, but since Rasputin is coming, we're not DESPERATELY in need of a music store.

We have plenty of Ruby Tuesday-type places (though, those commercials are mad annoying).

So I choose....

HOUSE OF FREAKIN' BLUES!

We need a medium sized music venue so bad.

That was my #2. Those commercials are evil.

whhhhy!?!? do they show such great commercials of juicy looking hamburgers in our Area if they have no intention of putting a ruby tuesday here. that is just wrong.....bring one here...please, ...please.