Chinese restaurant in Fresno closing for now. Neighborhood, thieves, pests are issues
After 44 years, Shanghai Chinese Cuisine is closing its doors.
Sunday is the last day for the restaurant at Blackstone Avenue and Griffith Way that has been a longtime favorite for many Fresnans.
But the owner vows it won’t be the last. She wants to reopen in a new location eventually.
Restaurants of all types have been closing over the past year as they struggle with the rising price of food, labor and power bills.
Shanghai seems to be facing an especially large avalanche of challenges: a slowdown in business after 7:30 p.m. and at lunchtime, a declining neighborhood and shopping center, a broken air conditioner, thieves stealing copper wiring from equipment and reports of pests and other health code violations.
Owner Pauline Dunn said she originally planned to close earlier, but so many customers came out when they heard the news that she pushed back the closing date. They had to close early for the night Tuesday because they ran out of food, with so many people coming out for its popular Chinese chicken salad and other dishes.
Dunn said she didn’t want to pin blame on anyone, but said the restaurant is closing “because of all the situation that has happened in this area.”
The shopping center, across the street from the Cardwell Post Office, has been emptying out for years. Aside from Shanghai, a church and a tattoo shop are the only businesses left in the building.
Numerous empty storefronts get visits from homeless people, Dunn said.
The restaurant currently does not have working air conditioning, she said.
Thieves have stolen copper from the air-conditioning unit and walk-in freezer, she said.
“Anything up there (that) has copper, they took it,” Dunn said. “That caused the business to fail.”
The longer she stays at this location, the more money she loses, Dunn said outside the restaurant Wednesday.
Public records also show a history of problems at the restaurant. In summer of 2022, a pot caught fire. Damage was minimal, but it triggered a visit from the fire department, which in turn meant a routine visit from the Fresno County Department of Public Health.
The health inspector found so many violations that the restaurant was shut down.
Among them: all three refrigerators were warmer than the required 41 degree or lower temperature; live and dead “bugs” were observed near the cooking area, dry storage and ice machine; employees were seen eating and drinking at cooking and prep areas, which is a violation of health code.
A week and a half later, after several inspections and pest control treatment, the restaurant was approved to reopen.
The restaurant is also facing a lawsuit from former employee Lance Palmer. The lawsuit says the restaurant had roaches in the ice machine, paychecks bounced and employees worked under “inhumane” conditions because of the broken air conditioning. He said he was fired when he raised concerns about the issues.
Dunn said she wasn’t aware of the lawsuit and when the allegations were described, said they were untrue. The lawsuit is scheduled for a settlement conference and jury trial in spring 2025.
“It’s not because of the roaches; we’re closed because of the area,” said Dunn, adding that pest control visits weekly and many restaurants in Fresno have roaches. Shanghai’s situation is worsened by homelessness and empty spaces, she said.
Dunn, however, would rather focus on the future. She wants to reopen in a different location.
She already has a $2,500 donation from the Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation. She is also applying for a $5,000 grant for equipment.
“We are not closed for good,” she said.
