Galt's New Stores Moved Into Old Buildings This Year. The Big New Center Is Still a Field.
October 8, 2026
October 8, 2026
About 100 people were lined up outside the old Rite Aid at Twin Cities Road and Carillion Boulevard before 7 a.m. on Sept. 10. Jenny Yang was fourth in line with Daniel Mejia, waiting for the chance at a gift card worth up to $500. "Basically, we want to go on a shopping spree," she told the Galt Herald. Nick Nguyen has worked at a Grocery Outlet since 2018 and owns and operates this one. He cut the ribbon, and Galt had a new grocery store in a building most people in town could already find with their eyes closed.
That opening is the clearest example of how Galt's commercial side changed this year. Most of what has opened, or is about to open, went into a building that was already standing. A former drugstore, a former sandwich shop, a former cookie shop and a former real estate office account for most of the news. The one project built from scratch, the Galt Ranch Retail Center off Highway 99, cleared its last city vote in May. As of the latest reporting it is still vacant land.
Back in January, a Galt Herald roundup reported the Grocery Outlet plan. At a Nov. 13 planning commission meeting, officials had said the old Rite Aid building would stay largely unchanged, with new signage and only minor changes. Eight months later the doors opened, and the first 100 shoppers got gift cards worth between $5 and $500.
A few doors west, Tikka Bowl N Wrapz opened at 10550 Twin Cities Road. Its July grand opening came with a Galt Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting, a chance to meet the owners, and a free buffet. The menu is Indian-inspired and fast-casual, with customizable rice bowls, fresh wraps, appetizers and vegetarian options.
Next to them, in the plaza with Tractor Supply Co. and Dollar Tree, Wingstop took over the former Subway space at 10530 Twin Cities Road. The Herald announced it in January. Wingstop's own location page now lists the Galt store as open with ordering and hours, though no local coverage of an opening day turned up.
| Address | What was there | What's there now | Status as of late September 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10570 Twin Cities Road | Rite Aid | Grocery Outlet | Opened Sept. 10 |
| 10550 Twin Cities Road | Plaza storefront | Tikka Bowl N Wrapz | Grand opening in July |
| 10530 Twin Cities Road | Subway | Wingstop | Listed as open, opening date unconfirmed |
Within about 40 street numbers, three storefronts went from dark to lit in one year. None of them needed a new foundation.
The same pattern shows up on a smaller scale around C Street and Lincoln Way. City money is helping it along. At the May 20 State of the City event, Assistant City Manager Amie Mendes described a $200,000 grant program in Old Town Galt that helps business and property owners improve storefronts and building exteriors. She said it had already drawn new businesses. The event itself was held at Papas & Wings, 803 C St.
Wild Heart Bread Co. got there first. Owner Lindsay Ortez baked from home starting in fall 2023, then opened at 411 C St. in November 2025 in the space Erica's Cookie Co. used to occupy. The bakery makes cinnamon rolls, cookies, muffins, quiches and sourdough. In January the Herald reported limited weekday hours, monthly sourdough classes capped at 10 to 12 people, and a weekly menu sent by text to subscribers. Instagram at @wildheartbreadco is the place to check current hours.
Two restaurants are coming next. Both are going into existing downtown space, and both have the same chef.
Block 7 is going into the former O'Hara Realty building at 218 S. Lincoln Way. It is a farm-to-fork restaurant from local resident and entrepreneur Mark Hutchason, with Chef Julio Camberos overseeing the menu. In January the Herald reported an expected opening in mid-2026. A November 2025 WhatNow report described the team restoring the historic property and building the concept around local fields, artisans and ranchers. Menu details were still to come. Mid-2026 has come and gone, and no published update confirms an opening date yet.
El Zaguan Restaurant & Bar is going into Suites C, D, E and I at 908 C St. According to WhatNow's Aug. 26 report, El Zaguan filed for a new on-sale liquor license on Aug. 24, and California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control records list Belinda Gutierrez as the owner. The restaurant's Instagram gave September 2026 as its target. The plan is a full scratch kitchen serving modern Mexican food. It will have five tortilla flavors, 15 pepper varieties for its sauces and mole, and house-made tamales and churros. As of the last day of September, no opening announcement or ribbon-cutting had been published.
Camberos has a long résumé in Lodi. A 2017 StarNews profile follows him through hotel kitchens, Universal Studios and the Orlando Arena before he ran the kitchen at Cottage Bakery Cafe and Rotisserie in Lodi. He then ran Black Tie Gourmet catering and Califas Bistro and later worked with El Cerro Grande and Zocalo. The profile puts his career at more than three decades. The Lodi News-Sentinel has written about Califas on Cherokee Lane, which he opened with his wife after running the catering business.
He has been posting El Zaguan's buildout online, down to the dinnerware he picked himself, and has been hiring a front of house manager among other positions. With one chef behind two downtown dining rooms a few blocks apart, Old Town could have two new sit-down restaurants within a short stretch of time, both in buildings that had other lives first.
The other half of Galt's retail story is the one that would add brand-new buildings. Galt Ranch Retail Center is planned for central Galt between the A Street and Simmerhorn Road off-ramps, next to the Simmerhorn Ranch subdivision. The city staff report describes 189,070 square feet on 45 acres, with an approved framework that includes five drive-through restaurants, a convenience market, a car wash and freeway-oriented signs.
Here is how 2026 has gone for the project so far:
The day after the council vote, Mendes called it "a long overdue commercial center in our community" and connected it to sales tax revenue and quality of life. "We don't want our residents driving out of town to spend their money," she said.
What the public record doesn't show yet is a construction start, an opening date or a confirmed list of tenants. In February, coverage called Panda Express and Quick Quack possible tenants, not signed ones. The approved site plan is split into phases with no calendar dates attached. The staff report also describes the site as vacant. No later ruling in the lawsuit turned up either. Even the city's development projects page still lists the decision as appealed to City Council, months after that vote happened.
That leaves Galt with two timelines. The reused buildings went from announcement to open doors within one calendar year. The ground-up center has collected approvals all year and is waiting on everything after that.
These are the next signals for each project, roughly in the order they could arrive:
If you own a home near Twin Cities Road, downtown C Street or the Simmerhorn corridor and want to know how this year's new stores and the Galt Ranch plan could affect your property, Roenspie + Johnson is in Galt and keeps track of these projects too. Contact us for a local market consultation, and we'll walk you through what's open, what's approved and what's still on paper near your street.
We pride ourselves in providing personalized solutions that bring our clients closer to their dream properties and enhance their long-term wealth.