Stockton has jumped on the growing grub-hub trend with this month’s launch of the Stockton Food Plaza.
The new location is owned by Steve Ramsey, who also operates the 3-year-old Lathrop Truck Plaza.
“People really enjoy it,” Ramsey said of his second location. “We’re just getting our feet wet here in Stockton.”
Customers drive under a metal arch to park and eat at one of the 55 tables with shaded areas. The open-air site located at 3646 E. Telstar Place once had eight small used-car lots that were built in the 1990s.
The increase in food truck parks, plazas and courts (nicknamed grub hubs), is part of a yearslong, outdoor-dining trend that concentrates a mix of independent operators in one convenient area. Merced and Ceres are among other Central
Valley cities with plazas.
Meanwhile, the Visit California website showcases what it calls the “9 Awesome Food Truck Parks in California” that stretch from The Park food truck hub in Redding to Curbside Bites in San Diego.
Diverse menu choices
Fans of the Lathrop location who live in Stockton can now skip the 15-mile drive there because they have a food plaza in their own backyard.
“I was talking to some local customer here in Stockton and they said, ‘Now we don’t have to drive to Lathrop to the Italian truck,’” Ramsey said. “I’ve heard that three or four times.”
The Padella Italiana truck is parked at one of about 30 spots that already are occupied.
“We have 40 spots and nine buildings (for vendors), and we’re 60 to 70% full,” Ramsey said. “It’s going well.”
One of the lures is having a variety of food choices.
“We have Filipino. Of course we have Mexican food. We have a couple of dessert places. A couple trucks have Indian food,” Ramsey said.
One popular destination is an old standby, Tacos La Unica.
“La Unica was out on the streets for years and he’s done one hell of a job here,” Ramsey said.
“They all actually work extremely hard,” Ramsey said of the operators, who pay rent to him. “We’re proud to have each and every one of them.”
New website in works
Ramsey and his team are working on a website for both Stockton and Lathrop that’ll have a map with food truck schedules.
“(Customers) will be able to go to each truck, pick out the time that truck is open and go right to their menu with their call numbers,” he said.
The food plaza offers several money-saving perks for the businesses.
They can stay parked overnight without having to return to a commissary that typically serves as a base of operations. The plaza also supplies power so the vendors don’t have to run generators.
Features for visitors include new tile-and-marble bathrooms (“Nicer than my house,” Ramsey said.), security guards and cleaning services.
Ramsey emphasizes the plaza is family-friendly and alcohol-free.
Other plaza in town
Elsewhere, another food truck spot that’s been in business on a much smaller scale is the West 8th Street Food Truck Plaza at 717 W. 8th St., next to the Chevron station.
It started more than two years ago and is open daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Owner and chef Lillian Marquez said her 3 Amigas Pupuseria truck offers Salvadoran pupusas, which are made with thin corn masa and filled with meat and cheese.
“We have three trucks that are here … we're permanently here at this location,” Marquez said last week.
The Oishii Hibachi truck serves Japanese food. Another truck called Marisco El Tati offers Mexican-style seafood.
Positive reactions
Timm Quinn, CEO of the Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce, said he was impressed when he helped with the ribbon-cutting at the plaza’s Oct. 8 grand opening.
“We’re so excited to add this dining option to our community,” Quinn said. “It’s a great way to support small businesses and get great food at the same time.”
Likewise, District 4 Supervisor Steven Ding went to the kickoff and had a favorable impression.
“It’s a great economic development project for North Stockton,” he said. “It takes a lot of food trucks off the street and puts them into one center.”
Ding, who owns the historic Woodbridge Crossing restaurant, shared what he ordered.
“I’m a Mexican foodaholic. I love Mexican food so I went and had some carnitas tacos,” he said.
“I thought the Ramseys did a fabulous job. I hope they’re successful. It’s a heck of a vision,” Ding added.
If you go:
- Hours: Open daily from 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Food trucks have their own schedules.
- Address: 3646 E. Telstar Place in North Stockton (off Hammer Lane, around the corner from Home Depot)
- Contact info: (350) 228-3525; Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61581374725228; Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/stocktonfoodplaza.sfp/; Website:stocktonfoodplaza.com
This article originally appeared on The Record: Stockton Food Plaza brings new flavors to the city
