This continuation of a historic artisan tradition has expanded to include a franchise of more than 70 restaurant locations nationwide.

West Coast Sourdough is on a bent to share its San Francisco-style sourdough with bread lovers across the country through an expanded sandwich offering, under the slogan “Uncompromising Quality Met With Scalable Success.” 

It’s an effort to redefine the sandwich category, led by co-founders Manny Deol, CEO, and Damon Bhatia, CFO, to lead a forward-thinking, optimized business system. This continuation of a historic artisan tradition has scaled, turning the Northern California institution into a franchise with over 70 restaurant locations nationwide, thanks to strong executive leadership dedicated to rapid expansion.

Fresh Baked Bread Daily  

For many professionals, the daily grind is nonstop until lunch, when a time crunch makes grabbing food a quick affair with little hope for fresh food. But at West Coast Sourdough, bread is hand-rolled by artisan bakers, baked fresh in every artisan sandwich shop daily, and served warm. Their sandwiches are made with premium meats sliced fresh in-house daily, and the vegetables are sourced from local produce deliveries. Streamlined ordering is available through a robust, tech-enabled platform that uses a proprietary consumer app. 

COVID-19 Era Launch 

Getting the company off to a good start in 2020 proved daunting because it landed directly in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic and a global economic crisis: immediate lockdowns, strict capacity mandates, and constant regulatory changes. Global supply chain disruptions also made obtaining consistent, premium ingredients a daily battle, while other restaurants must have had the same experience. Labor shortages also made for more hustle, greater resilience, and hands-on toughness from leadership.

As millions of potential customers stayed isolated at home, they discovered a newfound appreciation for the texture, complexity, and comfort of homemade sourdough bread. West Coast Sourdough captured the craving and started filling orders with ready-made sandwiches. The warm aroma and unmistakable crunch of fresh, authentic artisan bread arrived in a fast-casual model. 

Inspiration for a Healthy Artisan Tradition

Sourdough is a simple but delicious creation inspired by a centuries-old, authentic San Francisco tradition. The West Coast Sourdough brand was built on a humble but powerful belief: a sandwich is only as good as the bread it is served on. The ultimate company goal was to bridge the gap between artisan-level bakery quality and the speed, convenience, and technology needed to create a successful restaurant in the modern fast-casual dining world. From those goals, they created the best sourdough sandwich possible using fresh ingredients and artisan techniques.

Notable Brand Accomplishments

The brand, in its short life, has reached top rankings in several esteemed restaurant and business publications. It was ranked 442 overall in Entrepreneur Magazine’s prestigious Franchise 500 and named one of the Top 24 New and Emerging Franchises. It was recognized as one of the fastest-growing restaurant concepts in the country, ranking 18th on Restaurant Business’s national “Future 50” list. Among fresh-casual franchise opportunities, it is known, thanks to this listing, as a top sandwich franchise.

A Model for Restaurant Success

Robust revenue streams come from several sources for the franchise locations. They boast high-throughput lunch hours, seamless online ordering, third-party delivery, and a highly successful corporate/event catering program that features signature soups, such as New England Clam Chowder, served in freshly baked sourdough bread bowls.

Written in partnership with Tom White