In Hilmar, Pizza Plus has served the town since 1995 and now brings a pizza trailer to events. In Newman, it is a Rotary Club meeting spot. In Escalon, a family’s 1993 pizza shop grew from Main Street to a shopping-center restaurant. There is more local history behind the name than one menu can tell.
Updated 2026.
Start with the town you are headed to: Hilmar · Waterford · Newman · Riverbank · Escalon. The former Ripon Pizza Plus has its own story below, followed by Linden and Jamestown for a longer trip.
Hilmar: a family restaurant with a pizza trailer
Find it: 19935 American Avenue, Hilmar. Call: (209) 634-6200.
The Hilmar restaurant dates its start to 1995. The Hilmar Chamber’s restaurant directory names John and Anne Almeida, giving this location a family identity of its own.
Its menu includes the Big “H” Special, with pepperoni, salami, sausage, mushrooms and black olives, plus Blue Banner and garlic-chicken pizzas. Sandwiches, pasta and a salad bar give a group choices beyond pizza. The business also advertises a mobile pizza trailer; call if you want the food to come to a party or event.
Use the restaurant’s linked ordering page or phone to place an order. For other stops south of Turlock, our Hilmar guide covers the cheese visitor center, community history and nearby river recreation.
Waterford: the Wildcat and a meal after a river outing
Find it: 12705 Bentley Street, Waterford.
The Waterford menu and ordering site gives a useful picture of this shop’s range. The Wildcat combines salami, pepperoni, mushrooms, olives and sausage. White Chicken Delight takes a different direction with white sauce, artichoke hearts, red onion, chicken and bacon. Hot Honey Delight, calzones and sandwiches add more options.
The restaurant also turns up in local civic history. In a 2014 city meeting record, Pizza Plus manager Griselda Pelayo spoke in favor of changing the city’s standards for outdoor eating areas. It is a small example of a restaurant’s role in shaping the town around it.
For an outing that includes food, compare the river parks in our Waterford guide. The parks are in town; Modesto Reservoir is a separate destination farther east.
Newman: pizza with a community connection
Find it: 1420 Main Street, Newman. Call: (209) 862-4411.
Newman’s Pizza Plus is more than a pickup address. The city’s clubs and organizations directory identifies it as the Newman Rotary Club’s meeting location.
In a 2026 community feature, Westside Connect described part-owner Clare Caetano, a Marine Corps Reserve veteran, and her support for the Newman Fall Festival, recreation teams and school activities. Those connections help explain how a pizza restaurant becomes part of a small town’s routine.
The restaurant’s menu reference lists pizza, calzones, wings, sandwiches and pasta. For an order, use the phone number above; the menu page currently directs customers to call.
Riverbank: a move that made the city’s planning notes
Find it: 3327 Santa Fe Street, Riverbank. Call: (209) 869-3665.
Use the address above for the current restaurant. Older listings can still point to its former location at 3308 Santa Fe Street, Riverbank. In 2017 reporting, The Modesto Bee described plans to move across the street into the former Landon’s Men’s Wear building, making room for a larger restaurant.
By 2019, the move had become a detail in the city’s pedestrian-safety planning. A Riverbank staff report cited Pizza Plus’s relocation and remodel, along with other new businesses, when proposing flashing-beacon crosswalk improvements downtown.
Stanislaus County also announced supervisor mobile office hours at the restaurant in 2021. For today’s food order, use the Riverbank ordering portal or call the shop.
Escalon: the Krumeich family’s 1993 start
Find it: 1900 McHenry Avenue, Escalon. Call: (209) 838-3333.
Escalon’s Pizza Plus opened on April 19, 1993, on Main Street. Bill and Wendy Krumeich and their children helped build the family business, which later moved to Vineyard Square. At its 25th anniversary, the Escalon Times reported that Peter Krumeich had taken over day-to-day operations from his father. Peter had been six when the shop opened; by the anniversary, his own oldest son was nearing that age.
The current restaurant website lists pizza, pasta, sandwiches, wings and salads. Its ordering menu includes the Big E, All Meat, Vegetarian and Western combinations, as well as calzones. The restaurant’s own description singles out toasted sandwiches served on Basque rolls—one detail to look for when you want something other than a pizza.
The contact page lists regular hours of 11 a.m.–9 p.m. daily, with holiday closures. Call about a team meal or group gathering; the restaurant’s room arrangements are best discussed directly.
Remember Pizza Plus in Ripon? Look for Gold Dust now
The old Ripon name has a real connection to today’s Gold Dust Pizza family story. Bob Willey founded the Ripon pizza business in 1984. The Bee’s 2024 account of its Modesto expansion explains the Pizza Plus beginnings and the move to the Gold Dust name.
For the Ripon restaurant today, use 110 W. Main Street, Ripon and call (209) 599-6161. The official Gold Dust locations page also links its other restaurants. This is useful when a friend recommends “Pizza Plus in Ripon” from memory: the familiar place is listed under its newer name.
Farther afield: Linden and Jamestown
These are longer-trip stops rather than Turlock’s neighboring towns:
- Linden: 19018 State Route 26, Linden, (209) 887-3035. The operator’s contact page says the restaurant has served Linden since 2005.
- Jamestown: 18251 Main Street, Jamestown, (209) 984-3700. Its official website has the menu and online ordering for in-store pickup.
Choose the town first, then use that restaurant’s menu or phone number. For pizza inside Turlock, read our Jura’s Pizza Parlor guide; the Shopping & Dining directory brings the town’s other food stops together.
