If you live in Valley Center, you already know eating local here can be a little different. We don’t have a bunch of chain restaurants on every corner. We don’t have a big downtown filled with places that are open all day and late into the night. What we do have is a growing mix of local restaurants, taco trucks, food trucks, coffee carts, bakeries, wineries, and small businesses that help give Valley Center its own personality. The only problem is, sometimes it can be hard to know what’s actually open. And if you live here, you know Valley Center is spread out. It can easily take 15 minutes just to drive from one side of town to the other. When you’re hungry, looking for dinner, trying to grab coffee, or hoping to pick something up without driving all the way into Escondido, the last thing you want is to drive across town and find out the place you were headed is closed. I’ve done that. More than once.
That’s a big part of why I created Valley Center Eats. I wanted to build one simple place where locals could quickly see what food, coffee, drinks, treats, and local options are available right here in Valley Center. The goal is to make it easier to see who is open, where they are located, what they offer, and how to contact them. Maybe you want to call ahead and place an order. Maybe you want to ask what the owner recommends. Maybe you just want to discover a taco truck, coffee cart, bakery, restaurant, or winery you didn’t even know was here. That’s what this website is for. And yes, I’ll admit it — part of this was a little selfish. I live here too. I want more local food options in Valley Center. I want to know what’s open. I want to support the people who are taking a risk, working hard, and trying to build something in our community.
It’s not easy to open a food business. Whether it’s a restaurant, food truck, coffee cart, bakery, or winery, there is a lot of work that goes into it. I hate seeing local businesses close, especially when part of the problem may simply be that not enough people knew they were there, when they were open, or what they offered. Hopefully, Valley Center Eats can help with that. This website is designed to help connect local residents with local businesses. It gives people an easier way to find what’s open, eat local, and support the businesses that make Valley Center unique. The website is live now, and the Valley Center Eats app will be coming soon.
For local businesses, getting listed is completely free. If you own a restaurant, food truck, taco truck, coffee cart, bakery, winery, or another food-related business in Valley Center, I’d love to include you. For everyone else, I hope you’ll use the site, share it with your friends, and check it often when you’re trying to decide where to eat, grab coffee, or pick up something local. Valley Center Eats is just getting started, but I’m excited to see it grow.
Thanks for supporting local.
Find What’s Open. Eat Local.