Cameron Davies and Ricky Ortiz, the founders of Cruising Kitchens and El Camino, are cooking up one thing new for the neighborhood — the 300,000-square-foot Cruising Kitchens Commissary at 702 San Fernando St. The mission goals to function a enterprise incubator for meals truck operators and different native entrepreneurs.
Davies and Ortiz anticipate to open their new West Aspect commissary mission inside 3-4 months. The pair rose to prominence with their respective enterprise tasks. Davies runs Cruising Kitchens, a meals truck manufacturing idea. Ortiz is most identified for his a number of meals truck park ideas, together with El Camino and Besame, the latter of which he offered in 2024. Ortiz additionally owns Good Tender on Babcock Highway.
The house may have shared kitchens, chilly and dry storage, dishwashing, and trailer parking, however the house will not simply cater to day-to-day wants. The staff additionally plans to supply model consulting and advertising assist.
Likening their new enterprise incubator as a “Geekdom for the meals neighborhood,” Davies and Ortiz famous that they observed a development of restaurateurs steering away from storefronts in favor of meals vehicles.
Given the disheartening onslaught of brick-and-mortar restaurant closures (greater than 30 shuttered in 2024, not to mention the latest 2025 restaurant fatalities), Ortiz and Davies intention to offer enterprise session companies for locals desperate to attempt their hand with a meals idea, along with offering an area for current meals truck operators to park their vehicles, improve their enterprise fashions and supply industrial house for meals prep.
Meals vehicles are sometimes a means for aspiring meals entrepreneurs to check a brand new idea earlier than taking over the overhead of a brick-and-mortar restaurant. Well-liked eateries like Pumpers, Benjie’s Munch, and Field St. All Day began as trailers earlier than opening everlasting areas.
“Our objective is to create a complete ecosystem for meals vehicles,” says Davies. “It is like meals vehicles for dummies.”
The enterprise companions added that they’re going to assist homeowners via the tedious inspection course of essential to open and function new meals vehicles. The sport plan? The pair will function a “consulting arm” for locals desperate to get their foot within the door, offering assist one step at a time.
