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DUTCH BROS COFFEE ON ITS WAY; ROTTEN ROBBIE NEXT
Manteca growth keeps luring businesses
dutch bros
A Dutch Bros drive-thru coffee business is under construction on West Yosemite Avenue to the east of Cabral Motors.

The surge in Amazon and other on-line firms is hammering brick and mortar commercial expansion but not in growing communities.

The opening of a Bath & Body Works store in the middle of the pandemic at the Stadium Retail Centered anchored by Kohl’s Department Store while the chain is closing stores elsewhere is a prime example.

The pre-Amazon Era rule in commercial circles that established a desired number of “rooftops” or housing units for an area has increased. That means even more homes are needed before serious consideration would be given to an area and its demographics.

Back in the 1990s, as an example, most supermarket chains looked for what they considered to be 12,000 to 15,000 “rooftops” per standard grocery store in a community. If such a formula justified a market area having an additional grocery store, it would be considered a potential candidate for expansion.

The inroads Target and Walmart along with Amazon has made in the grocery business has changed the dynamics substantially increasing the population base needed to consider an area for a new store while at the same time shrinking the needed footage of a traditional grocery store.

The late Bob Piccinini who was the CEO of SaveMart back in the late 1990s, noted that stores the size of the two markets the family-owned business had in Manteca at that time were considered to be too small and would be normally candidates for replacement stores.

The shift in the market dynamics has made them more “right-sized” making the recent remodeling of the West Yosemite Avenue store a sound move.

As to why Manteca seems to be getting a proliferation of fast food places, car washes and gas stations lately is the simple fact they are businesses that 100 percent online ventures can’t do.

Dutch Bros now building while

Rotten Robbie moving forward

It is why Dutch Bros Coffee is now building in Manteca, a 14th car wash is getting ready to break ground, Raising Cane’s Finger Chicken is preparing to submit building plans, and Rotten Robbie gas station is moving through the approval process.

Dutch Bros is under construction at 1105 West Yosemite Avenue just to the east of Cabral Motors.

When  Dutch Bros open its Manteca operation will make extensive use of “runners” — a relatively rare component at the firm’s nearly 300 locations.

 Unlike Starbucks that operates with one drive-up lane, Dutch Brothers thrives on catering to customers that don’t leave their vehicles. And at peak periods at other locations employs runners that take orders and then bring coffee orders to the vehicles to reduce the time in line.

The Manteca site will be able to accommodate 45 cars in line before spilling out into the street meaning it is highly unlikely to create the traffic issue Chick-fil-A has at Yosemite and Northwoods avenues.

Rise & Shine express car wash has been issued a permit to build on the southwest corner of Commerce Drive and Phoenix Drive next to the Ford Small Parts Distribution Center, across from the back side of Staples, and kitty corner from the backside of Home Depot.

It is just across the street from where the city has approved the construction of a 25,211 square-foot indoor sports facility on Commerce Court to serve as the go-to place for youth, high school and adult sports enthusiasts. The indoor sports facility will develop leagues for different sports teams that will be able to play in a dedicated indoor facility designed for that purpose year round. The facility is expected to operate between 3 p.m. and midnight.

The car wash building will be 4,937 square feet. The developer in plans submitted to the city plans to have three pay lanes plus 37 parking stalls that they intend to also have vacuum set ups for at least 24 spaces.

Rotten Robbie — a Santa Clara-based fueling station and convenience store chain — wants to open its 35th location between the Mister Car Wash and Wawona Avenue along the Airport Way corridor.

 The City of Manteca is now accepting public comments on a negative declaration for the project through Oct. 14.

The station is proposed for 2.02 acres. It will include 16 pumps including 4 diesel vehicle pumps, a 6,240-square-foot passenger vehicle canopy, and a 4,800-square-foot convenience store. The Robinson Oil Corporation plans to operate the Manteca location 24/7.

Rotten Robbie locations are primarily in the Bay Area with Lakeport the farthest north location. The closest Bay Area station to Manteca is in Livermore.

Raising Cane’s Finger Chicken has been approved by the city for East Yosemite Avenue between the bowling alley and The Habit Burger where the city’s original McDonald’s once stood.

If all goes well, Raising Cane’s 3,247-square-foot building with a drive-thru lane and a covered 1,194-square-foot outdoor dining patio will be up and running sometime in 2021.

 

Regional retailers

shopping Manteca

While landing large retailers is a tough act these days, developers of vacant commercial property indicated Manteca is getting a fair amount of inquiries.

That’s because the 120 Bypass — that connects Highway 99 and Interstate 5 — has available freeway frontage made enticing for regional ventures give Manteca is at the center of a triangle with 700,000 consumers within a 15-mile drive. That includes Modesto, Tracy, Stockton, Lathrop, Ripon, Manteca, and Escalon.

Site work has started on the 116,641-square-foot Living Spaces showroom that is anchoring a new commercial development on the southwest corner of the Union Road and 120 Bypass interchange and will front Atherton Drive.

The $20 million furniture showroom is the biggest commercial project in Manteca since the 120,000-square-foot Costco store was built in 2008.

The Living Spaces store will not be a warehouse per se but will be almost all showroom. Furniture customers buy will be shipped from the Fremont distribution center in 26-foot long trucks each day between 8 and 10 a.m. The only time larger 53-foot trucks will be used is for a week when they are shipping in furniture to set up the store displays.

The Living Spaces will have space set aside within the main structure’s footprint for a restaurant to open at a later date.

 

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com