Central Valley sandwich shops rebrand amid West Coast Sourdough split

The first change customers in Modesto and Merced will notice is the name on the door. Former West Coast Sourdough locations in both cities are now operating as Cali Rays Sourdough Deli, part of a rebrand that has reached 18 locations between Chico and Bakersfield as franchise owner Raj Singh pulls his stores away from the chain.

The switch has been visible well beyond paper filings. Old sign remnants have been giving way to replacement banners across the Central Valley, turning a legal fight into something shoppers can see at the curb. The menu, though, has not been torn up along with the branding. Cali Rays has kept the core sandwich lineup and added a slightly broader mix that includes wraps, flatbread, soups, salads and baked goods.

That continuity matters because the dispute is really about more than storefront names. West Coast Sourdough founder and former CEO Kay Uppal filed suit in late February, accusing the company of breach of fiduciary duties, asset diversion and failures in lawful franchise agreements and quality control. The complaint said those problems had led to “consumer confusion, dissatisfaction, and loss of confidence in the brand,” a reminder that in a sourdough-centered sandwich chain, trust in the bread and the system behind it can be as valuable as the recipe itself.

Singh began separating his businesses from the company in March, saying food costs rose, sales slowed and company engagement declined after Uppal’s departure, making the break necessary. The rebrand has rippled through Fresno, Clovis, Porterville, Visalia, Madera, Chico and Bakersfield as well, underscoring that this is a regional reset, not a single-store adjustment.

West Coast Sourdough was founded in 2020, so the current upheaval has hit a chain that is only about six years old. Its franchise model has centered on specialty sandwiches, soups and salads built around sourdough bread sourced in the San Francisco Bay Area, which helps explain why the brand name has enough weight to trigger a fight over who gets to keep it.

A separate company statement has said Cali Rays locations are operating with a menu, ingredient list and business model identical to systems West Coast Sourdough says it developed. One Oceanside operator has framed the exposure as a corporate-level issue rather than a problem for franchisees who switched brands, but for customers in Modesto and Merced the practical change is simpler: new signs, the same sourdough lane, and a brand identity now split between the name on the storefront and the chain behind the counter.