The Fresno Horn Barbecue location appears to have shut down, and has been hit with a notice to vacate by 6:01 a.m. on June 17, the Fresno Bee reported. It is unclear how long the restaurant has been closed. The Bee wrote that a sign posted at the restaurant on May 18 stated it would reopen. It has not.
The Chronicle reached out to Horn Barbecue for comment but has not received a response as of publication.
The closing is another blow to Horn’s once-sprawling restaurant empire, which comprised multiple locations of Horn Barbecue throughout the region, among other concepts. Starting as an acclaimed food truck in 2016, Horn opened his original West Oakland location in 2020, earning nationwide acclaim, including a semifinalist mention for best new restaurant in the country from the James Beard Foundation in 2022.
Horn promoted the Fresno opening at around the same time his Elk Grove restaurant was shutting down.
Controversy has followed the restaurateur, who has been accused of wage theft and hit with lawsuits by former employees. The Fresno Bee reported that 23 unpaid wage claims against Horn Barbecue by workers in Oakland and the Sacramento area have been filed.