The DiCicco’s restaurant in Fresno’s Ash Tree Plaza, near Ross, closed after more than 40 years in operation. Owner Joanna Vitucci confirmed that its last day was Sunday, citing numerous challenges including rising food and supply costs, increasing wages, and particularly skyrocketing energy bills from PG&E as major reasons for the closure. Vitucci revealed that her PG&E bills for July and August were around $10,000 each, significantly straining the already struggling business.
Operating on a month-to-month lease after the original one expired, the restaurant could no longer manage the financial burden. While disappointed by the closure, Vitucci hopes patrons will visit the West Shaw Avenue DiCicco’s location, which is just 3.5 miles away. She also managed to find new jobs for some of the 18 employees, some of whom had worked at the Ash Tree Plaza location for 30 years.
The closure of this longtime Fresno favorite reflects the wider difficulties many small businesses face, including rising PG&E rates, which have become a major contributor to the financial challenges of staying afloat. In recent months, other local businesses such as Fulton Street Coffee, Fosters Freeze, and Starving Artist Bistro have also shuttered due to similar pressures.
Meanwhile, the owner of the shopping center, Ted Dang, expressed disappointment but hopes to attract new tenants to the location, with a new restaurant set to open next door soon. Many longtime patrons, mourning the closure, fondly remembered signature dishes like the restaurant’s cream of zucchini soup.
https://www.fresnobee.com/living/food-drink/bethany-clough/article293606014.html
https://kmph.com/news/local/diciccos-closes-down-one-location
