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Cracked Pepper Cafe \u2014 and its popular bread pudding (seen in the image) \u2014 is coming to Fresno City Hall later this year, filling a dining gap for city employees. (Fresno City Hall photo by flickr user Thank You (25 Millions ) views under Creative Commons license, photo composite by Israel Meave\/The Business Journal)\n<\/p>\n
Fresno City Hall employees will soon be able to grab coffee and bread pudding from one of the city\u2019s top chefs without leaving the building.<\/p>\n
Vatche Moukhtarian, Cracked Pepper Bistro\u2019s owner and head chef, is developing his cafe concept for city hall following a survey of more than 450 city employees who described what food service options they wanted.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s on the menu?<\/p>\n
Moukhtarian said that the cafe will serve coffee and\u00a0quick-bites, like grab-and-go salads and sandwiches. He said the menu is still under development.<\/p>\n
The space includes 1,852 gross square feet, according to the lease agreement. It was once occupied by the defunct City Hall Cafe. Moukhtarian said a restaurant has not operated in the space near the security checkpoint since the pandemic.<\/p>\n
The Fresno City Council is expected to approve a lease agreement this Thursday. Construction is expected to start this month and Cracked Pepper Cafe is expected to open this fall.<\/p>\n
Free rent for three years<\/p>\n
The lease runs 36 months, with a target commencement date of Nov. 1, 2026. It can be extended twice for one-year periods if both sides agree in writing.<\/p>\n
Rent is $0 per month for the first 36 months. If Moukhtarian exercises the extensions, rent kicks in at $1,464\/month (months 37\u201348) and rises to $1,507.92\/month (months 49\u201360) \u2014 both calculated at roughly $1\/square foot for the 1,852-square-foot space.<\/p>\n
Bestelling pudding<\/p>\n
Though the cafe will offer a more casual menu than the restaurant, Moukhtarian said that he plans to offer his acclaimed bread pudding at the cafe. He estimated that the restaurant sells roughly 262 pounds of bread pudding per week.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo way around it, we have to have the bread pudding down here, so we\u2019re going to make bread pudding available for the staff.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Cracked Pepper Bistro is known for its high-end menu and ambiance, Moukhtarian said Cracked Pepper Cafe will offer a different dining experience.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not taking fine dining and moving it down there,\u201d he said. \u201cIt will be a little bit more casual.\u201d<\/p>\n
And a cup<\/p>\n
Chef Vatche, as he is known, isn\u2019t new to coffee. In addition to his fine-dining bistro, Moukhtarian owns Sanctuary Coffee Roasting Co.<\/a>, a specialty coffee roaster and distributor that operates in Clovis.\u00a0<\/p>\n