Golden State Foods, Irvine, Calif., opened the doors to its new expanded distribution facility in Phoenix, Ariz. The facility, located at 5516 West Buchanan, broke ground on a 37,500-square-foot expansion in April 2012, and now totals more than 83,000 square feet. The facility serves 375 restaurants, including McDonald’s and Chipotle, throughout Arizona, Utah, California, New Mexico and Nevada. Th Phoenix facility marks the third expansion this year, with a McCook, Ill., distribution facility breaking ground in June, and a grand opening for the company’s Whitewater, Wis., distribution facility in August.

“Our newly expanded facility will create the necessary infrastructure to ensure Golden State Foods is able to provide McDonald’s and Chipotle with the quality of service they require today and into the future,” says John Marin, general manager of the GSF Phoenix distribution center. “We are committed to continue to offer the superior quality our customers know us for, and are grateful for all of those who were involved in the planning and building process for the new facility.”

In addition to increased square footage, the expansion will bring the installation of several eco-friendly features, including translucent insulated panels that provide natural lighting in the cool dock area, Xeriscape (low-water usage) landscaping and a cascade refrigeration system that reduces ozone-depleting refrigerants.

Golden State Foods opened its Phoenix distribution center in 1978 as a satellite center to meet the demands for McDonald’s. At that time, the distribution center employed 30 people and serviced 93 McDonald’s restaurants. Today, the Phoenix facility employs 135 people and services 300 McDonald’s restaurants and 75 Chipotle restaurants.