Sad news for lovers of downtown, music fans and pizza eaters -- Fulton Mall eatery Milano will be closing its doors this month.
Co-owner Kendall Simsarian passed along word this afternoon that the restaurant will be shutting down on Aug. 21, but will stay open for already-scheduled concerts on Aug. 22 and 29. The news puts a somber spin on the showing of "Fresno: A City Reborn" scheduled for Milano on Wednesday.
Milano opened in April 2007, in the Fulton Mall space that previously housed The Fulton, Mom & Pop's and Candy's. Its closing is a blow to downtown, no doubt, and to a music scene that also lost Crossroads recently.
No more Megazones. No more local rock shows. No more ArtHops. No more Rogue Festival events. Just another casualty for locally-owned, community-oriented business.
NNNNNNOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
Depressing. Almost a year after Cafe Corazon too. Kendall really gave his all, too. Dammit!
This is sad, indeed.
This is truly a blow to downtown and Fresno in general.
I'm shocked, this is terrible. I love Milano. Say it ain't so!!!!
Sorry you have to close, Kendall. This sucks.
I think I'm gonna cry... :(
UNbelievable.
WTF!!!! :((((((((((((((((
Damn.....
Kendall, Donn.... :((((((((
This is most definitely a blow to downtown.
I'm curious as to the reason for Milano closing. Lack of business? It was busy the times I have been there, but it's not like I'm there every day so that's not a very accurate census.
I know I'm beating a dead horse here, but for any restaurant to thrive, you need places to draw people in and then when they are done shopping go somewhere to eat. But there are hardly any shops on Fulton that draw people, so it's impossible for a place like Milano to thrive.
And I'm not trying to be negative here, as I'm saddened by this as well, but was there any advertising for Milano? I never heard anything and it seemed to be only word of mouth. People would ask me where is a good place to eat downtown and I would suggest Milano and they told me they had never heard of it. Fresno is saturated with restaurants and for any to survive you need a good marketing campaign. Of course this is speculation on my part, but I'm trying to understand the why for Milano closing. Still this sucks and is yet another blow to Fulton. With this gone I doubt anyone is going to go there now.
Noooo!!!!! Quick lets all go order 4 pizzas each! I know that wouldn't really be good long term help anyway. Well I am putting on a show there on Aug the 29th (thanks Kendall for willing to do those last 2 shows even-though you will be officially closed). We gotta work something out to morph that last show to a good going away party of sorts. And to hope that Milano comes back in the future.
I am really sorry, Kendall. Thanks for the effort. Let me know when you are going to open the Koaster Bar...I need me some pizza sliders.
As a guy who works with new businesses every day, this recession (depression) has been hella deadly. People just aren't eating out anymore (TWSS). It's not the quality, it the economics. I would tell Heros to step up their effing game. Service was the worst ever on Friday (see Heather's account).
Well, come on out to Milano on Wendesday to see a classic docu from the 1960 that talks about Fresno: A City Reborn. You'll learn about all the progressive stuff happening 40 years ago.
RIP, Milano
I've never had a good experience at Heros. Would love to say I have but I can't. It's been lousy service everytime I've been in there.
Thanks, Kendall for letting me play there twice.
I am saddened to learn of the closing of Milano. I will miss the people, the pizza and the music. In that order.
I'm bummed to hear this. They definitely had the best calzones! Unfortunately, I rarely was in the area to support it.
I was so shocked by this news, and very sad for all the effort Kendall and Donn and the rest of the crew put forth. I've enjoyed a lot of their great food, even as recently as just a couple of days ago, while setting up my artwork at the Fresno Pacific Towers, and I've seen a lot of cool live performances there. I had the honor of exhibiting my art at Milano's back in October 2007 and they were so great to work with. I wish you guys the best and hope to see you with another venture soon! Let us all know what you'll be doing.
This is an untimely passing in the Fresno family. Very, very sad for everyone who knows this place!
Aw guys! I"m so sorry to hear this! Thank you Kendall and Dawn for being the very first restaurant to support Smog City Roller Grrls. I always seem to come back to SCRG but you really did do alot for us and I"m so grateful!
I"m really sorry to see you guys go and I truly hope that your future endeavors are successfull and full of that Fresno spirit that you bring so well!
Kendall and Donn, I can not say thank you enough for all of your support and kindness! You were SO supportive of The Suppressors (Milano will live forever in the Small Time Hustler video!!!) and Fresno United Club of Scooters. More importantly you are wonderful people and friends. I'm so sad to see this happen to you. I know very well that you did everything in your power to keep the Milano open. It will be truly missed. Milano was an excuse for us to come downtown, probably the only one.
Keep us all informed of what your future endeavors are and we will be right there to bring you business and support as we always have! It's heart warming to see all of the support for you.
Good luck friends!
Damn.
Thanks Kendall and Donn, you really DID give us a couple years of coolness. You're pioneers, and pioneers always have it rougher than the later-on settlers.
Thanks for the music and goodness.
--Blake
Amazing. This town is truly pathetic. A city with a population of 500k plus, a metro area with over a million, and absolutely ZERO downtown activity-- no shopping, no movies, and almost no nightlife. Apparently the entire population of this sad little burg would rather spend their free time sitting on their collective asses, either in church or in front of their idiot-box (that's the teevee, fellers) at home... when a downtown's main attractions are it's thrift stores and bailbond shops, you know you have a problem!
Perhaps it's time to rethink FresNO's zoning laws and do what some progressive-thinking cities like Portland have done-- set up an urban growth boundary, and refuse to allow any building beyond said line. IT'S CALLED INFILL, BABY! Unless of course you all are Mr. Practical-like and enjoy sprawl... and enjoy being the butt of jokes from Sacramento to San Diego...
You hit the nail on the head, and I couldn't have said it better myself. This suburban sprawl of a "city" has severely handicapped the potential fo a true "downtown" scene. It's very sad because there is so much potential... But so few people willing to make the 20 or 30 minute hike down 41, 99, or 168 is creating stagnant air around Fulton. Congratulations Fresnians, all you have are weekends and evenings spent at home or at another pathetic chain restaurant or lame movie.
It truly is pathetic.
OH NO! The minority pool of non-Mexican food restaurants is shrinking! (Not that there's anything wrong with Mexican food -- I frequent many of those restaurants on Fulton mall all the time).
Kendall and Donn -- while your food was tail-kickin' good, the atmosphere is what made Milano an empire. THANK YOU for all the good times and overall generosity you shared with the downtown and Twitter communities.
...Oh, and the mad lasagna addiction I'm now going to have to seek therapy to cure.
It's going to be a very sad day when they close for the last time. I know the world of business is cold and heartless, but if ANYONE deserved to succeed, it was (and still is) Donn and Kendall of Milano. Like so many mom and pop operations, they put their heart and soul into their business and their product and it showed. They will be missed, for many years to come.
Re: soddruntlestuntle's comments about downtown
I understand where you're coming from 100 percent. It's hard to think of a worse scenario of a city abandoning its core urban area than we have had here in Fresno over the past 50 years, but it goes hand in hand with an area that leads the nation in concentrated urban poverty, lacks a diversified economy, and has double digit unemployment, even in "good" years. It's all related.
However, to say that Downtown Fresno has "absolutely ZERO downtown activity-- no shopping" isn't quite right. Maybe it's not the sort of shopping that you, or others in the "creative class" would like to see, but the Fulton Mall is home to quite a bit of retail. The dozens of merchants on the mall that make their living serving the Valley's large Hispanic population would be surprised to learn that downtown has zero retail. Yes, it's not high end shopping, and yes, the storefronts don't look like Pottery Barn. But they're just like Donn and Kendall, mom and pop operations working to make a living selling their products. Likewise, there are over 60 restaurants/cafes in Downtown Fresno. Every one of them would appreciate your business.
Joe, you are correct, I would be remiss if I failed to mention the establishments that ARE downtown-- I work downtown, so I do try and frequent these establishments when my bank account allows...
With that said however, there are no large draws, ie, a Macy's, a Saks Fifth Avenue, or to use your example, a Pottery Barn. Most people aren't going to drive into ANY downtown for 'mom and pop' operations... City Hall needs to really make a serious PR push to bring a destination retailer into downtown-- perhaps give some tax breaks or parking concessions, something, ANYTHING to prime the pump! As I noted in my original comment, there are over 1 MILLION in the greater Fresno/Clovis area, and a great many of them DO still have money to spend!
One last comment (actually a rhetorical question)on the shops and restaurants that ARE downtown-- how many of them are open past five o'clock or on the weekends? Downtown looks like the set of 'I Am Legend' after five...
And I would like to add to Joe's list Sushi Hana, open til 8 weekdays and til 3 on Saturdays. Good sushi at a good price!
Re: retail shops downtown - most are open on the weekends, I'd say they do most of their business on the weekends. But very few, if any are open after 5:00 PM.
Re: downtown restaurants open after 5:00 PM (off the top of my head so I might be leaving some out)
Joe's Steakhouse, Hero's, Cosmopolitan, Club One, Shepherd's Inn, Cafe 1055 (Holiday Inn), The International Cafe (Raddison), Mezcal, Los Panchos, Tokyo Garden, El Torito, Fajita Fiesta
Didn't Little Brother Rock There Back In The Day?
Yep, back when it was Mom & Pop's.
SAD SAD NEWS!
thanks to the Milano for letting Steve Ono and I play guitars there on thursday lunches. You guys are great friends to local music, THANKS for the great run!
Tom
I know I'm late to the discussion, but I just wanted to take the time to thank Kendall and Donn on their last day.
Over the last three years Milano had become my favorite hangout and along the way Kendall and Donn (and many others) have become my friends and I guess that’s what bugs me about the whole thing. Other places have closed and other places will close, but if there was anything that made Milano special, it was the people that I got to know while hanging out there; Jimmy, Paul, Diana, Marie, Charly, Laura, Evan, Sarah, just to name a few.
So to Kendall and Donn, I say thank you. Thank you for creating a cool place to hangout, a cool place to meet people, and a cool place to make friends.
Good luck and God Bless!