From food truck to storefront, Dad’s Cookies expands into new downtown Fresno home

Key Takeaways
Key Takeaways
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.

Read our AI Policy.

• Dad’s Cookies is preparing to open a permanent storefront at 760 Fulton Street.
• The new shop sits across from Chukchansi Park in the Garage retail building.
• Dad’s Cookies will keep its food truck running at Fresno State football games.

After more than a year of work, Dad’s Cookies is almost ready to welcome people through its new doors in the Brewery District as part of a new renovation.

The family-owned local business will have its grand opening on Oct. 3. The downtown storefront is near Chukchansi Park and across from the planned $80 million The Park at South Stadium apartments. It’s one part of a broader vision for greater downtown revitalization and retail.

Dad’s Cookies was based out of a Clovis gas station, but the demand outgrew the space, and the company let its lease lapse. The local company has been using a food truck to meet customers where they are, but that’s also had its challenges. They also have retail partners, like Copper Market, where Dad’s Cookies delivers frozen dough they’ve made and weighed out, which is then baked fresh at the location on a daily basis.

“People are always messaging us through email or social media about what days we’ll be open, and sometimes we won’t be open for three or four days, so we can’t make cookies for them,” founder Lance Sanchez told The Fresno Bee.

The new location is in the Garage, the former Downtown Auto Care building, which has been rehabbed and split into five different retail spaces. Dad’s Cookies is the first business to move in, and Lance directly attributed his decision to other business owners in the area, who have been working to make the district more of an entertainment destination with more options for people looking to enjoy themselves.

“It’s so community, it’s so local,” Lance said. “We love the vibes.”

Dad’s Cookies was started in 2020, during the pandemic, when Lance was laid off from his job. He originally made cookies at the Clovis Culinary Center. He’s been back at the culinary center, making cookies and selling them through a food truck.

Lance estimated that Dad’s Cookies makes between 40-80 different flavors per year.

His family is heavily involved in the business. His daughter, Haivyn, does social media marketing for Dad’s Cookies, and his nephew, Jordan Sanchez, is the general manager.

“Having family involved on a day-to-day basis keeps us together,” Lance said.

Jordan has been with Dad’s Cookies since almost the very beginning. He handles operations, and he’s learned a lot during the process of opening the shop.

He’s also gotten a lot closer to his uncle.

“We would hang out a couple times a year, in a ‘my uncle is barbecuing’ kind of way,” Jordan said. “Now we see each other every day. We’re constantly texting.”

Dad’s Cookies also hired eight people to staff the new store. The business got approval to start making food on premises two weeks ago, and the same day, they started training staff.

The storefront will be open Tuesday through Sunday, with hours differing depending on the day. Tuesday through Friday, the business will be open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. On Saturday, Dad’s Cookies will be open 9 a.m. through 10 p.m., and on Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

There’s more to the new location than just cookies: it’ll also feature an espresso bar, stocked with beans from Fresno roastery Lanna Coffee, and a dirty soda bar. Additionally, Lance plans to have entertainment on the porch, and to invite pet owners to show up with their best friends during ‘bring your dog to the barkery’ events.

For fans of the food truck, it’s not going away just yet. Dad’s Cookies is a staple at Fresno State football games, and they’ll continue to show up.

“September and October are our busiest months of the year,” Lance said.