By JASON CAMPBELL
209 staff reporter
LATHROP – People travel from around the world to visit San Francisco and its famous landmarks and attractions.
And on a busy weekend day during tourist season, people will wait in line more than an hour to get some ice cream or some chocolate or a drink in order to enjoy the world class flavor cultivated by the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company at Ghirardelli Square.
But you don’t’ need to drive to San Francisco to enjoy the same confections.
For years the company, which runs a distribution facility in Lathrop, has operated an outlet at the site that allows customers the chance to the get the tasty treats that international travelers put at the top of their list.
For some it’s better than any other ice cream shop that could have added to the community.
“What’s great about it is that you can get in and out there pretty quickly if know what you’re going for,” said customer Jasmine Holloway. “A lot of my friends don’t even know that we have this shop here.”
While the sundaes and the milkshakes are big draw at the ice cream shop, the outlet itself is a great way to get your hands on quality chocolate without having to travel all the way to the Bay Area. The store itself is more of a desert boutique than a standard outlet store, but it still rates high on the list of repeat customers that buy everything from the individually wrapped bite-sized pieces to the bars that made the company famous in San Francisco back in 1852.
The Ghirardelli Chocolate Outlet and Ice Cream Shop is located at 11980 Harlan Road in Lathrop just off Interstate 5. It is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. For more information call 209.982.9304.
To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.