Einstein Bros. Bagels has opened its third Fresno location, this time in Downtown Fresno near the convention center. The new store officially began serving customers at 6 a.m. on Wednesday, with lines forming before the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The event drew dozens of guests and featured remarks from local officials and stakeholders. Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer addressed concerns about business viability in downtown Fresno, stating, “Sometimes people think that there’s not a lot of foot traffic downtown, or maybe they won’t be able to have a good, prosperous business downtown, but quite frankly there’s nothing further from the truth. We see how many people are out here today at the [Kern Street] Farmers Market, but it’s like that every single day.”
Patrick Monreal, who co-owns all three Einstein Bros. Bagels locations in Fresno, spoke about his strategy for selecting sites that maximize both pedestrian and vehicle presence. “I think Downtown Fresno is the heart of our community,” he said. “I think the missing piece here was a breakfast spot, and bringing in a longtime franchise and company like Einstein’s — it’s got history, it’s got a solid name to it and I think it will be a great backbone for the community.”
Monreal opened his first Einstein Bros. Bagels location near Dave & Buster’s in 2023, followed by another store near the Marketplace at El Paseo in 2024. He explained that opening three stores within three years has allowed him and his partners to build on recent successes while considering future expansion plans. Monreal aims to open five locations in total across the area, with an eye toward expanding closer to Clovis.
“We’re trying to hit different pieces of the community that we feel are the most needed,” he said.
