Porto’s set for a taste of Downey

BURBANK — Porto’s Bakery, flush with cash from continued success in Glendale and Burbank, is set to expand its operations as officials prepare to break ground on its newest location in Downey.

Officials hope the 2.1-acre property will revitalize downtown Downey with a quick infusion of jobs and commerce, much as Porto’s has done for Glendale since 1993, when it opened a 20,000-square-foot site on Brand Boulevard, and for Burbank on Magnolia Boulevard.

The Downey City Council on Tuesday approved a $750,000 agreement to bring the bakery downtown along with a stipulation that Porto’s provide at least 40 full-time jobs for the local workforce, though officials expect about 90 people to work at the location if current trends hold true.

The Glendale and Burbank locations collectively employ 180 people while serving about 2,000 customers per day with sales of more than $160 million, according to a city staff report.

“We’re very excited about it,” Downey Mayor Mario A. Guerra said. “Porto’s will be the economic engine downtown.”

The relationship between Porto’s and Downey started in November 2007, when Guerra, another Downey city councilman, and Glendale City Councilman Frank Quintero met at the Brand Boulevard bakery to discuss regional transportation issues.

Bakery co-owner Raul Porto recognized Quintero and was introduced to Guerra.

The mayor handed Porto a business card, asking him to consider opening a location in Downey, 21 miles southeast of Glendale.

Within a few weeks, Porto called Guerra, gave him a tour of downtown Downey and started the ball rolling on a multimillion-dollar investment.

“It started by chance,” Guerra said.

Months later, Porto and his business team, which includes sister and co-owner Betty Porto, hunted for a suitable location to precipitously expand their current footprint.

The Portos closed escrow in November on a $9.4-million facility that includes a two-story parking garage and 15,300-square-foot bakery/restaurant on 92,000 square feet of land.

Construction is set to begin by May, and the new location is scheduled to open by April 2010.

The project is part of Porto’s $16-million investment in downtown Downey, which officials there hope will lift the city to new heights as it explores other options to cull residents and visitors from other locations.

The city is working with a developer to construct a more than $1-billion retail and residential center on 100 acres and expects a Fresh & Easy market and BJ’s Restaurant to come online soon, Guerra said.

“But Porto’s is one of the first big pieces,” he said. “We’ve been working on it the whole year. We hope our downtown looks like Glendale’s one day.”

Porto’s has been credited with helping to revive Brand Boulevard in Glendale and Magnolia Boulevard in Burbank, something to which surrounding merchants and drivers looking for parking have attested.

The bakery has also flooded each city’s coffers with cash and amassed a stream of loyal visitors from beyond city limits.

“It’s an excellent source of revenue, in addition to their civic participation with nonprofits,” Quintero said.

“It’s iconic in the sense that everyone knows about it, including people outside of the Glendale geographical area. It’s also a destination. There are people who come from all over Southern California.”

Many of those consumers come from Downey, one of the primary motivations for opening the new location, Betty Porto said.

“We’re very excited about it,” she said.

“We get a lot of people from Downey. They know once we open, they won’t have far to go. This is a great opportunity to grow.”

The Porto’s team may not stop in Downey. Bakery staff has also seen steady demand from customers based in Orange County, the site of a possible future location.

“[He] wants to take small steps,” Betty Porto said of her brother, Raul. “Small steps away.”