Numerous national, regional restaurant chains opening, expanding into Modesto area
The Central Valley loves chain restaurants, and if the opening and construction of new chain locations this year is any indication, they love us right back.
A number of national and regional chains have opened additional locations recently and others are planning more in Stanislaus County. They range from coffee powerhouses and national burger sellers to regional breakfast and pizza favorites.
In Modesto, The Marketplace will welcome a new standalone Starbucks location soon. Construction is well underway on the project, with the exterior work nearing completion. The new approximately 2,000 square-foot Starbucks just off the corner of Oakdale Road and Sylvan Avenue will also have a drive-thru.
Tom Solomon of CoSol Commercial Real Estate, which is handling leasing for the center’s property owner and developer, Berberian Holdings, said the new Starbucks should open by “mid-spring.” Once completed, it will be the fifth standalone Starbucks cafe on or just off of Oakdale Road in the region, with three in Modesto and two in Riverbank.
The cafe will join two other previously announced new eateries planning openings in the new northeast Modesto shopping center anchored by the city’s flagship Save Mart store. They include the first Stanislaus County location for the national chain Pizza Twist, a fusion Indian and pizza place, and Okawa Sushi & Steak, a new sushi and steakhouse from the owner of Modesto’s popular Osaka Sushi on McHenry Avenue.
Both restaurant projects have begun on-site improvements, and Solomon said he expects each to take five to six months to finish construction. As the existing available space at the center begins to fill, Solomon said Berberian Holdings is also designing more buildings for the empty pads in the complex.
Across town on Carpenter Avenue, the city’s second Huckleberry’s has opened. The Southern-inspired breakfast and lunch spot debuted in late November in Modesto’s Crossroads shopping center, off the corner of Carpenter and Kansas Avenue.
Huckleberry’s first opened in Modesto in 2008 in a converted Perko’s along Yosemite Boulevard. The chain now has more than two dozen locations in California, as well as Texas. In Stanislaus County, the eatery also has restaurants on Geer Road in Turlock and West F Street in Oakdale.
The new Huckleberry’s is open from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily at 901 N. Carpenter Road in Modesto. Call 209-529-3100 or visit huckleberrys.com.
Modesto’s neighbor to the south is also welcoming new locations from popular fast food chains. Last week, the new The Habit Burger Grill opened in Ceres on Whitmore Avenue. The site is the burger chain’s first location in Ceres, joining two other Stanislaus County locations, on McHenry Avenue in Modesto and Countryside Drive in Turlock.
The new location in the Whitmore Plaza complex has dine-in, takeout and drive-thru options for their signature Charburgers and more. The Ceres Habit Burger at is open from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. for dine-in and until 11 p.m. for drive-thru daily. Call 209-804-1050 or visit www.habitburger.com.
Habit is the first of two national burger chains opening in Ceres for the first time. A new In-N-Out Burger is coming to the planned Gateway Center, across from the new Walmart Supercenter that opened at Service and Mitchell roads in November.
Also joining In-N-Out in the under development center just off Highway 99 will be Chipotle Mexican Grill, Ono Hawaiian BBQ and Starbucks. No word yet on when to expect the new chain locations, but plans for the iconic burger brand were approved last April.
And finally in Turlock, a familiar brand is returning. Pizza Factory, which had a location across from Stanislaus State before closing amid the pandemic, is opening again in the city. Merced-based husband-and-wife franchise owners Luis Marquez and Sandy Perez are behind the new development, their first restaurant business.
After more than 15 years in IT, Marquez said he wanted to retire and start another kind of business. His wife, Perez, had managed the Pizza Factory in Le Grand for a decade before.
“We love the product and we wanted to do something we could enjoy together,” Marquez said. “I think it helps that there used to be one in Turlock. People are familiar with it, hopefully in a good way.”
The former Pizza Factory, on Monte Vista Avenue near the university, was open for more than a decade before closing during the pandemic.
Marquez said they are finalizing plans for their location, which they hope to open on Countryside Drive not far off Highway 99. Marquez said if that goes smoothly, they expect to open in late spring, early summer.
The Oakhurst-based chain of pizza restaurants has had numerous locations in Stanislaus and Merced counties over the years. Currently the chain has other Stanislaus County spots in Gustine, Hughson and Denair.
This story was originally published January 24, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
