The wait is over, Modesto. Marie Callender’s restaurant reopens with same menu, pies
And just like that, Marie Callender’s is back.
After shutting down abruptly in early August, the restaurant chain reopened in its same north Modesto location Thursday. And it was almost like it was never gone.
The same building, the same decor, the same menu and — of course — the same pies are all there. The eatery had operated for 36 years in its distinctive, cottage-like building at the corner of Sylvan Avenue and Coffee Road before its closure. Now, five months later, it is open again and ready for its customers — many who had been coming for decades — to return.
“Honestly, everything is the same — the menu, the pies,” said General Manager Irena Lavito. “We’re just waiting with the door wide open. We’re excited to get started here again.”
Originally, plans had been to have the restaurant back up and running before the holidays. But a change in new franchise ownership and needed back-of-house repairs prevented them from coming back sooner.
The closure in August, part of its parent company’s bankruptcy, left the restaurant’s some 40 to 60 employees suddenly jobless and its loyal fans bereft. Then in October, a new out-of-state franchisee stepped up with plans to reopen the eatery. But obligations at another Marie Callender’s he was reopening in Salt Lake City forced him to drop his plans for the Modesto site.
Luckily, a new Central Valley-based owner, Bikram Samara of Fresno, emerged to take over the project. And after some extensive renovations and repairs to the kitchen’s plumbing and refrigeration systems, the site is humming with activity again.
Same menu, same pies
You’ll find the same book-sized menu offering breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. You’ll see the same enticing pies greet you as you walk into the lobby waiting area. And you’ll even recognize some of the same faces, about half a dozen, who were rehired. Lavito said she would have hired more back, but a large number of former Marie Callender’s employees were snapped up by the new flagship Save Mart store on Oakdale Road.
Lavito is among the returning staff. She worked for the Modesto site for about six months before its closure as a manager and bartender. During its downtime, Lavito said, people came up to the door nearly daily hoping to get in to eat. On Christmas Day, she stopped by the restaurant briefly and saw several groups of people walk up and leave disappointed.
“It was so sad watching people walk away,” she said. “We really, really tried to get open by Christmas, but we couldn’t get everything finished in time.”
Just about the only thing that isn’t yet back is the bar, which will take about two weeks to be fully restocked and open. Once it is ready, the restaurant will again be able to serve alcohol.
But, Lavito said she isn’t content with just being back. She wants to be even better. She said that while the restaurant was being worked on, she went over past reviews and hopes to target areas of complaints and make improvements.
“We are trying to challenge ourselves,” she said. “We don’t want to make the same mistakes as before.”
The restaurant reopens with about 45 employees. The large dining area has room for more than 300 people, with plenty of space that can be reserved for private events. On the menu you’ll find comfort food staples like pot roast, turkey with all the fixings, and pot pies. And in the pie case are perennial favorites like lemon meringue, banana cream and chocolate.
What remains to be seen is if the regulars will return. But if the number of calls and emails I received during the holidays wondering when it would reopen are any indication, they should be in good shape.
Before reopening, the restaurant held a series of private mock services where the families of employees and vendors were invited to come eat to help train the staff. On Wednesday, Salida couple Jeri and Tim Manuel brought visiting out-of-state friends Jamie and Joe Cabral to the restaurant, thinking it was already open to the public, and stumbled into one of the dry runs.
Instead of picking up a pie for Joe Cabral’s 65th birthday, they were invited to stay for a full dinner. Before the closure, the Manuels ate once or twice a month at the restaurant, and always came there to buy pies. They were happy to be part of the reopening preview, and vowed to be back for pies and much more.
“We were brokenhearted when it closed,” said Jeri Manuel. “So we’re so thrilled and excited it has returned.”
Marie Callender’s, 3500 Coffee Road, is open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday (brunch served until 2 p.m.). For more information, call 209-408-8155 or visit www.mariecallenders.com.
This story was originally published January 9, 2020 at 1:59 PM.
