The Southwest Voice

Kern County’s largest independent deli chain, The Sequoia Sandwich Company, is expanding its services to Fresno County as part of the company’s long-term growth plans in the Central Valley. 

The first store is scheduled to open June 25 in the Clovis Commons Shopping Center at Herndon and Willow. Target and Best Buy anchor the shopping center, developed by Regency Centers of Los Angeles. Sequoia shares a pad with two other tenants in front of the center facing Herndon Avenue.

Bakersfield-based Sequoia Sandwich Company opened in 1999 and is privately owned. Sequoia Sandwich is not a franchise; the concept was conceived and developed by local owners, Jeff Simpson and Gary Blackburn. Sequoia Sandwich is considered a high-quality, “premium” deli, using top of the line meats and cheeses to make handcrafted fresh sandwiches, in addition to salads, homemade soups, cookies and desserts. Unlike most delis, Sequoia Sandwich provides the operational efficiencies of a quick-service restaurant, in a larger, more upscale environment than the average sub-shop.

Sequoia now serves more than 1,000 guests each day and employs more than 100 people, contributing over $1 million in annual payroll to local economies.

— Community News items compiled by Ebony Villaseñor.