Comings & Goings: Pluto’s house to develop into a contemporary meals courtroom | Enterprise
Eight restaurants in one place. That’s the plan for the former Pluto’s space in Davis Commons.
Local Kitchens calls itself a “micro food hall” that lets you mix and match food brands in one order. It plans to open in mid-May, though the company is still waiting on permits to begin construction on the 2,569-square-foot space at 500 First St., Suite 13.
A Local Kitchens opened in Roseville on Tuesday, in the Highland Reserve Marketplace, 10357 Fairway Drive. It was the sixth one since three friends – two of them former DoorDash employees – launched the company in the summer of 2020. They are CEO Jon Goldsmith, CTO Jordan Bramble and COO Andrew Munday. The company has several in the Bay Area: in Cupertino, Lafayette, Palo Alto, San Jose and Mountain View, with Los Gatos planned.
Tracy Chiao, head of real estate for Local Kitchens, said the Davis rollout will come in two phases. First, it will be a pop-up, with about five restaurants. “Once we finish up the remodel, we’ll do a full opening, with about eight partners.”
She said they’re still finalizing that list of partners, which will dictate the hours. They hope to name the brands in another week or two. Hours of other stores range, with openings at 8 or 11 a.m. and closings between 9:30 p.m. and 2 a.m. It does not include a liquor license.
The list of prospective brands includes The Melt, which had a standalone restaurant in Davis Commons from 2013 to 2015. Back then, it focused on grilled cheese. The new concept has a lot of burger variations, too.
Other options are: Asian Box (build-your-own Asian bowls), Curry Up Now (Indian, burritos), Garden of Eat’n (salads, wraps and sandwiches), Humphry Slocombe ice cream, The Lumpia Company (Filipino spring rolls), Nash & Proper chicken sandwiches, Oren’s Hummus (falafel, kabobs), The Plant (organic plant-based bowls), Proposition Chicken (fried, rotisserie or vegetarian “chicken” entrees, sandwiches and salads), Rooster & Rice (Thai chicken and rice bowls), Sajj (Mediterranean bowls and plates), Señor Sisig (Filipino, Asian fusion), Sushirrito (Asian wraps and bowls), and Wise Sons (sandwiches, soups and sides).
The new Roseville Local Kitchens has six brands: Curry Up Now, Nash & Proper, The Melt, Señor Sisig, Garden of Eat’n and Humphry Slocombe. My guess is those with Sacramento area connections – Curry Up Now, Nash & Proper and Garden of Eat’n – are likely for Davis too.
Davis Commons already has the following restaurants: Mikuni Japanese, My Burma, Burger Patch and The Halal Guys.
Local Kitchens works from one big kitchen, with stations and chefs for each brand. Chefs are cross-trained, to help each other.
“We tend to work with the cool local brands,” Chiao said. The concept started during the pandemic, when eateries shut down in downtown San Francisco for lack of patrons. Local Kitchens helps small restaurants expand “when they don’t have the capital to open a bunch of locations themselves.”
She cited Señor Sisig, which had a pre-pandemic food truck that drew a cult following, with lines two blocks long. Sushirrito was another restaurant that was popular in the financial district.
“We’re focused on helping these locally oriented companies – ones with two to six locations – expand into the suburbs.” She said they’ve done the analytics to bring brands that fill voids in those markets.
Food is available for eat-in, pickup, or delivery through DoorDash. Patrons order online or through an app, or in-person using a kiosk. Food is made onsite, to order, and ready in 15 minutes or less.
Patrons may order from multiple restaurants on the same check. “A reason a lot of people come is you can get something different for everyone in your family,” Chiao said. Or you can come multiple times a week and still have variety.
In a statement, CEO Goldsmith said the Davis site “marks an interesting entry into the university market for us. We’re excited to be in a storefront accessible to visitors of downtown Davis and to the large student population. … We also like this particular spot because there’s a lot of fun activities that take place just outside our doors, especially during summer.”
A plant store is opening downtown as soon as early April. The Growing Groves is coming to 219 E St., Suite A. It’s in the space above the former de Vere’s Irish Pub.
Founders Larry Groves and Ricky Barosa signed a lease for the space on Monday.
They believe plant ownership should be accessible to everyone, Groves said. “(We want to) create an environment where avid plant enthusiasts and new plant parents can feel comfortable, confident and supported.”
It gets its plants and products from local vendors and nurseries, and “strives to support other small businesses that share our progressive culture and values,” it noted in an Instagram post.
Groves said, “Ever since I could remember, I have always wanted to open my own plant shop. I have years of experience caring for plants, and have made amazing friends in the plant community.” He said partner Ricky encouraged him by helping with the paperwork. Groves will manage the store.
If everything goes smoothly, they plan to open the plant shop in early April. A website is under construction.
It may seem odd to give more press coverage to a vending machine, but you must see Shelley Dunning’s B’twixt & B’tween at the Ruhstaller Farm taproom, 6686 Sievers Road in Dixon. A crowd showed up to the outdoor venue on Wednesday evening to mark the machine’s debut.
This device doesn’t dispense Snickers or Cheetos. It sells locally made art, jewelry, crafts, s’mores kits, sunscreen, game cards, toys, bakery cookies and more. Current prices range from $2 to $50 but Dunning said the credit card reader allows purchases of up to $99. Each item fits nicely into the 5-inch slots.
Local makers contributing to the contents include Jen Wendt and her Crystal Witch bracelets, earrings and bobby pins; Danielle Davidson of Pearly Everlasting Organic Botanicals, with natural peppermint lip balm and hand salve; Leslie Lindbo with little acrylic paintings on canvas of farm animals and nature; Toni Rizzo of Artiful World, with acrylic paintings of fruits and veggies on canvas; Harry “H.G.” Greer, who runs an art/music/game production company called BRAINMELTER, selling tarot cards; Autumn Labbe-Renault of Autumn Light Designs, who contributes earrings and bobby pins made with vintage buttons; June Wood of Felted Friends, who makes felted succulents in ceramic pots. There are also seasonal cookies from Solano Baking Company, and democracy-themed artistic coasters by students from Lisa Krebs’ English classes at Dixon High School. Proceeds from the coasters and button jewelry go to relief efforts for Ukraine. In addition, you’ll find some Ruhstaller merchandise and other fun kits Dunning created.
The vending machine is available when the outdoor brewery taproom is open: 3 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 3 to 9 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, and noon to 9 p.m. on weekends. It’s a great venue for music, and has a rotation of food vendors too. Learn more at https://ruhstallerfarm.com/.
The Davis Planning Commission on March 9 approved the conditional-use permit for a new express car wash at 480 Mace Blvd.
According to Anne Ternus-Bellamy’s March 10 story, Davis Express Car Wash will be the first certified WaterSaver car wash in Yolo County, using about 20 gallons per wash. Gas station and manual car washes use 50 to 75 gallons, said Evan Lyon, whose Davis family owns the property.
While traffic was a concern, commissioners noted that it went before the commission because of the zoning change.
Planning Commission Chair Greg Rowe said, “When you look at what is allowed under the General Plan and the zoning for auto service center, that includes things like automobile parts stores, drive-thru restaurants, a gas station, even a bowling alley. All those things would generate traffic. There doesn’t seem to be anything you can allow there that wouldn’t generate traffic within the confines of the current General Plan and zoning code.”
The women’s dress shop The Wardrobe is celebrating its 34th anniversary with a free high-style tea party. The event is from noon to 6 p.m. on Friday, March 25, at 117 D St.
Tea time is from 3 to 5 p.m., and includes teas and finger foods. The patron chosen as “best dressed” (wearing Wardrobe duds) will earn a store gift card. Other free gifts and prizes will be offered as well.
In a news release, owner Heather Caswell wrote, “To me, best dressed is a true and original embodiment of California Chic! I’m excited to see the contemporary and the modern vintage styles that have helped make The Wardrobe a household name.”
I keep track of Davis businesses on my Google spreadsheet, which includes more than 325 Davis businesses affected by COVID-19. It’s at https://bit.ly/DavisBusinesses. In it, there are sheets for Restaurants-open, Restaurants-closed, Coming soon, Businesses-retail, Businesses-service, and more. Email me (address below) to suggest updates.
— Wendy Weitzel is a Davis writer and editor. Her column runs on Sundays. Check for frequent updates on her Comings & Goings Facebook and Instagram pages. If you know of a business coming or going in the area, contact her at wendyedit@gmail.com.
