Fresno restaurants stay busy with takeout, pickup orders on Christmas

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- It's a busy Christmas morning at Casa De Tamales in Fresno's Tower District.

Orders keep coming in as Liz Sanchez and her staff crank out dozens of traditional holiday meals.

"We can always expect a holiday rush for the holidays and we got it," says Sanchez.

But even with that rush, Sanchez says they're down in sales because of the pandemic and the stay-at-home order.

She thinks moving her business to a new location might have also been a contributing factor.

Over the summer, Casa De Tamales relocated next to the Tower Theater.

Just a few blocks away, The Lincoln Pub & Grub prepared Prime Rib dinners for pickup.

"We are trying to do the best we can to just bring a little bit of cheer to everyone's lives," says owner Aaron Gossett.

Gossett says they're used to spreading holiday cheer a different way.

Before the pandemic, the bar primarily served drinks and had some appetizers on the menu.

But Gossett says they had to change with the times.

"We just keep adapting. We had to change our business plan probably five or six times over the last seven months," says Gossett.

It's a welcome change for customer Max DeLao.

"We like to try to support all the local restaurants right now," he says.

Sanchez says the customer support helped her overcome the challenges and changes that came with 2020.

"I am super grateful for the business. That we got it was more than I expected, that is for sure," he says.