One man launched some of Fresno’s most popular restaurants. How’d he get his start?
Fresno's Restaurant Royalty is a Fresno Bee series that tells the stories of eight of the city’s most prominent restaurant families. Have a tip? Email bclough@fresnobee.com.
Some of Fresno’s most-well known restaurants were launched by David Fansler: Pismo’s Coastal Grill, Tahoe Joe’s Famous Steakhouse, Westwoods BBQ & Spice Co. and Yosemite Ranch.
While many Fresnans don’t tend to know who’s behind their restaurants, Fansler is one of the most familiar faces in the Fresno’s restaurant world.
He and his restaurants are part of The Bee’s series focusing on local restaurants with several locations and often multiple generations involved that have shaped the Fresno restaurant scene.
The restaurateur was a CPA by trade, though he grew up cooking and making hamburgers and milkshakes for his aunt’s concessions business at Airways Golf Course starting at age 14. He also worked at LesterBurger and Chart House restaurant, waiting tables and cooking.
As an adult, Fansler was briefly involved in a deal with owner Bob Farrar to buy The Refectory, a steakhouse at Blackstone and Shaw avenues. At the time, Fansler’s father, Paul, was involved in Piccadilly hotels in Fresno, including what is now the Piccadilly Inn Airport.
“He said, ‘Since you think you’re a restaurant person, why don’t you and Bob Farrar do this deal, too?’” Fansler recalled his dad saying.
So he traded The Refectory shares and launched his first restaurant of his own: The Steak & Anchor, which still exists under different ownership.
Fansler went on to found Wiliker’s Bar and Grill at Cedar and Shaw avenues in the early 1990s. The booming restaurant and after-hours party spot had issues with law enforcement and had its liquor license suspended.
Fed up with the troubles, he sold it and opened the first Sierra-themed Tahoe Joe’s in 1995 near Shaw and Marks avenues. It had the same menu as Wiliker’s, but a different vibe.
He would go on to open eight more Tahoe Joe’s before selling the chain to the owner of HomeTown Buffet.
In 2003, Fansler pleaded guilty to filing false tax returns and committing bank fraud in connection with failing to report about $270,000 in income from cover charges at Wiliker’s. He was sentenced to five months in prison and another five months in a halfway house.
Despite that, he would open Yosemite Ranch, Pismo’s and Westwoods in the following years, all founded with various partners.
A repeat recipient of the California Restaurant Association’s restaurateur of the year award, Fansler doesn’t shy away from the spotlight.
He publicly moaned about Chick-fil-A’s long drive-thru lines tangling parking at Westwoods at Blackstone and Nees avenues.
He made headlines during COVID-19 for keeping Pismo’s open despite state orders to close its dining room, saying its large windows made it an “open air” restaurant. He later sued the city for “selective enforcement” of dining rules. The lawsuit was settled confidentially.
Another lawsuit against the city regarding rezoning of an empty property near Pismo’s was dismissed.
But there’s no doubt that Fansler’s restaurants have succeeded and shaped the Fresno restaurant scene. His businesses now employ 350 people.
Today, Fansler is investing in his buddy’s project, Sam’s Deli, which plans to open a second location in north Fresno.
His next step? Maybe creating a new restaurant and letting someone else run it — particularly at the property he owns just west of Pismo’s.
“There’s always room for a great restaurant,” he said. “People will flock to great food.”
