New Fresno pizzeria by owners of Annex Kitchen hiring 120 employees

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Owners of Annex Kitchen in northwest Fresno are set to open the doors to a new sister restaurant at Friant and Audubon in the Park Crossing Shopping Center near Trader Joe's.

It's called Annesso Pizzeria, which is Italian for Annex.

Restaurateur Jimmy Pardini says it'll be a casual concept featuring a large cozy bar and unique pizza creations.

"It's going to be similar style cuisine as the Annex Kitchen but a little more pizza focused," says Pardini.

"It is going to be open a little bit more days and hours than the Annex. It's going to be lunch and dinner whereas Annex is dinner only."

Pardini planned to open Annesso sometime last year but restrictions brought on by COVID-19 forced him to push back the start date.

"We're excited right now because things seem to be getting better, opening up. Hopefully, by the time we open in early to mid-June things will be a little closer to what they once were," he says.

Despite the challenge of opening a restaurant during a pandemic, Pardini remains optimistic about the industry's future.

He says he hopes to hire around 120 employees for the new pizzeria.

"It's a pretty good-sized restaurant, it's a little bigger than we have here at the Annex. I think we have around 250 seats indoor and outdoor so it's bigger... We're not exactly sure where it's going to end up but it'll be upwards of a hundred," he says.

If you're interested, there will be a job fair on Monday at the Annex Kitchen from 11 am to 3 pm.