New San Francisco-based sourdough sandwich chain opening three Modesto, Turlock shops
We West Coasters know a thing or two about sourdough. So then it shouldn’t be too surprising that three restaurants from a new chain based on sourdough are set to open in Modesto and Turlock.
West Coast Sourdough, a San Francisco-based restaurant franchise, has three new locations opening in Stanislaus County in the coming months. Two are planned for Modesto, along Tully Road and Pelandale Avenue, and a third is set to open in the Monte Vista Crossings shopping center in Turlock.
West Coast Sourdough CEO Kay Uppal founded the restaurant chain in 2020, right around the start of the pandemic. But despite the turmoil caused by COVID-19, the company has been able to grow quickly over the past two years and is expanding across Northern California with additional locations planned in Merced, Tracy and Sonora.
The company currently has around 20 open locations from Redding to Bakersfield.
The first new Stanislaus County location to open should be the Turlock site in Monte Vista Crossings. The chain will replace a Subway sandwich shop location on West Monte Vista Avenue next to the existing Sushi Cuisine. Uppal said the Turlock site should open by the end of the year.
The Modesto locations should follow. The next to open by the end of the first quarter of 2023 will be inside the Raley’s supermarket shopping center at the corner of Tully Road and Standiford Avenue and the second Modesto site should be ready in the second quarter of next year at 3601 Pelandale Ave. in the Save Mart grocery shopping center.
West Coast Sourdough’s concept is simple: make good bread and good sandwiches will follow. Uppal said the company gets all its bread daily from a Bay Area bakery. Loaves are parbaked on site, and then delivered daily to the shops. Then they finish baking in each restaurant, typically near the time of ordering.
The loaves are used for its close to two dozen sandwich varieties and sourdough bread bowls are used for its soups, including clam chowder, tomato bisque and daily specials. The company also sells about half a dozen salads and mac and cheese bowls.
Uppal said all of the Stanislaus County locations will have different owners. All its shops are run by franchisees.
“We wanted to make the sandwich truly the star of the show. We prioritize quality, we make sure the bread is always freshly baked and the meats some of the best meats we can get which we hand-slice,” Uppal said. “What has enabled us to grow throughout historically turbulent times is that we’re a high-quality, reliable sandwich place with quick service.”
This will be the second sourdough sandwich-based chain to open in the region since the pandemic started. In March 2021, Turlock got the county’s first Sourdough & Co., a sandwich chain based on its fresh-baked sourdough bread. The company has two additional locations planned in Modesto, which are listed as “coming soon.”
For more information on West Coast Sourdough visit www.wcsourdough.com.
This story was originally published September 19, 2022 at 6:44 AM.
