Rodeo 72 marks one‑year anniversary

Rodeo 72 is having the kind of first anniversary most new food halls want but do not always reach. The Whittier market marked one year with a full-day party on Saturday, May 2, then rolled straight into Cinco de Mayo programming this week. That sounds small, but it is actually the point — this place is no longer just “new.” It is behaving like a standing neighborhood venue, with recurring events, family programming, live music, and a stable mix of food stalls. (rodeopublicmarket.com) ### What actually happened this week? The anniversary event was a daylong celebration at Rodeo 72’s Whittier site on Walnut Grove Drive. The lineup started with kids activities from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. — cookie decorating, music, face painting, and a Woody and Jessie meet-and-greet — then shifted into a nighttime live s(rodeopublicmarket.com)y, May 5. (rodeopublicmarket.com) ### Why is the one-year mark a real milestone? Because the hardest part for a food hall is usually not opening — it is staying busy after the novelty wears off. Rodeo 72 opened in May 2025, so this week’s anniversary is basically a test of whether it has become part of local routine. The answer looks like yes. The ven(rodeopublicmarket.com)versary-week specials. (la.eater.com) ### What is Rodeo 72, exactly? It is a public market at The Groves in Whittier, named for old Highway 72 — Whittier Boulevard. The project is built around a food-hall model: multiple restaurant counters under one roof, plus communal seating and event space. Rodeo’s own materials describe more than 14 restaurant con(la.eater.com)n shift over time. (rodeopublicmarket.com) ### What makes this one different from a normal food court? The pitch is less “grab lunch and leave” and more “hang out here for a while.” Rodeo 72 includes a full bar, tasting-room style drinks, an outdoor stage, and local artwork, so the business model depends on people treating it like a gathering place. That is why the anniversary schedule mixed kid activit(rodeopublicmarket.com)ying to serve families, casual diners, and weekend crowds all at once. (rodeopublicmarket.com) ### What is inside the market now? The current lineup spans breakfast, bowls, Thai food, tacos, hand rolls, sandwiches, and more. Rodeo’s ordering and directory pages list names like EggBred, Blue Bowl, Karai Handroll Bar, Kra-Pow, Las Chelaguas, Paper Rice, Primal Cuts, Shootz, The Basket Taco, and The Inka Spot, wit(rodeopublicmarket.com)ants breakfast, another wants beer, another wants sushi-adjacent hand rolls. (rodeopublicmarket.com) ### Why does the location matter? Rodeo 72 sits inside The Groves, a newer mixed-use development that has been trying to give Whittier a denser, more walkable center of gravity. Almquist, the developer tied to the project, pitches the market as a community hub that draws locals and visitors from around Los Angeles County. So the anniversary is (rodeopublicmarket.com) The Groves is functioning the way planners hoped. (almquist.com) ### So what is the bottom line? The news here is simple but meaningful. Rodeo 72 made it through the fragile first year and is now acting less like a launch and more like a local fixture. In restaurant terms, that is the real win — not the ribbon cutting, but the moment a place starts filling its calendar because it expects people to come back. (rodeopubl([almquist.com)s-1-year-anniversary-party))