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Husband and wife owners Dustin and Kristin Stewart are currently building out a 2,500-square-foot space on Warehouse Row in Downtown Fresno. The facility will be used as production space and a commissary for the Dusty Buns food trucks.

“We feel like at the moment, being a part of Fresno means being a part of Downtown,” said Kristin Stewart.

Dusty Buns’ food trucks have participated in the neighborhood’s weekly CArt Hop events for years, creating a strong fan base for its locally sourced, made-from-scratch menu.  The new commissary location is expected to build off that momentum and expand the restaurant’s reach.

“It’s such a beautiful building with historic meaning for Fresno. It was the first lettuce transportation site. A train would come up to the back and they’d load up with Fresno’s lettuce and transport it around America,” she said. “It’s a great location, surrounded by City Hall, PG&E and all of the government workers moving into the same building.”

While the new site is not expected to open until later this year, Stewart said Dusty Buns has already started the process of hiring and training new staff.

 The Downtown restaurant will offer the same fast-casual atmosphere as the original Dusty Buns spot near Fresno High School, but with an emphasis on faster service for the lunchtime crowds.

“Dustin is doing all he can but reinvent the wheel to make it a quick service burger spot,” Stewart said. “We also have great plans to have lots of taps with beer, wine, coffee, tea and all-natural soda, all on tap.”

In the meantime, Dusty Buns food trucks will continue to make the rounds throughout the community and both the Fresno and San Francisco restaurant will remain open.

Stewart said the Bay Area restaurant has grown a lot over the last year and is surrounded by new development, while the Fresno site continues to be a local hotspot in the community.

“We’ve received great response from the community. The more spots we open, the more we get to give back as we source everything from local farmers. If we keep opening spots, we have a higher demand for produce from the farmers,” she said. “It’s a great circle to be a part of.”