Wausau's Sourdough & Co is the brand's first Midwest location

Sourdough & Co., the Sacramento-based franchise known for their soups, sandwiches, salads and fresh baked signature bread, charted new territory late last year as the first Midwest restaurant opened in Wausau. The location is owned and operated by father and son duo Kent and Aaron Olson, of Olson Tire & Auto Service.

The Olsons pursued the sandwich shop after leasing the space, adjacent to their tire store, to Subway for 23 years. When that location closed, they started looking to lease to other parties, but ultimately decided to use the business space themselves.

“We decided that we’d give it a try and then we started going through a franchise broker and different options,” Kent Olson said. After heading out to Las Vegas to meet with Sourdough representatives and try the food, they were sold.

“We liked that it was healthier, less additives and none of the preservatives, none of the junk that’s in a lot of the processed food today,” Kent Olson said.

Choosing a sandwich restaurant was also a great fit, as the back-of-house and kitchen were already outfitted for that kind of business. The front of house, however, was completely refurbished and updated to meet the new brand’s stylings.

When it comes to the actual food, the Olsons are keen to share the fresh, made-to-order qualities of the food served at Sourdough and Co. The bread is shipped half-baked to their location, where they bake the bread fresh for orders. Meat is sliced and prepared daily, too, Kent said.

“We don’t have bread that’s all baked sitting there in a warmer so that you’ve got bread that was baked at six o’clock this morning,” he said. “The bread is baked as the orders are done.”

Sourdough and Co. is located at 601 Forest St., Wausau.

Michael Strasburg photo

Kent Olson said the sandwich shop rounds out the guests offerings well on their “campus,” the block of Forest and Sixth streets that includes Olson Tire & Auto, Sourdough and Co., Wisconsin Automotive and Truck Education Association, Olson Auto Body & Paint and Happy Car Care -- an “auto spa” for detailing and cleaning vehicles.

“Being able to provide that lunch spot or dinner take-home when they’re picking up their cars, I think was a huge value ad for our guests almost entirely,” said Aaron Olson.

The Olsons root their businesses in the local economy by working with local distributors whenever possible and by giving back to the community. The company runs a charitable program called “Olson Cares 12 Months of Giving.” Each month at least one local nonprofit organization is selected, by popular vote, to receive a minimum funding of $1,000 from Olson Cares.

“The last two years we’ve had 22 different winners,” Kent Olson said, noting that two organizations won twice.

Next month, Olson Cares is holding a special bracketed giveaway tournament called March Kindness, where the winning nonprofit will receive $5,000. Voting information for these programs can be found at olsontireandauto.com.

Looking ahead, the Olsons are continuing to refine their Sourdough and Co. logistics and delivery offerings, as the first couple weeks saw a lot of interest and were hectic for newly-trained staff.

“It’s been a bit of a struggle, but we’re committed to figuring out,” Kent Olson said. “We want that. It’s a healthy alternative to fast food. We’ll invest and make sure it works.”

The Olson’s hold the rights to open a second location for the next couple years, and Kent said they are going to see how things go and assess that option at a later date.