It never closed when QFI acquired the market June 3, 1963. Broadway Market was actually a small chain. The name came from the flagship Broadway Market at 1833 Broadway in Redwood City (now Grocery Outlet) that opened June 1950, claiming to be the largest supermarket in Northern California with 25,000 sq. ft.TheStranger wrote:So does anyone know when the Millbrae location changed from "Broadway" to QFI?
The store does front Broadway but the entrance is closer to El Camino Real, if I remember it correctly.
Veteran
Veteran
The March 10, 1966 edition of The Monitor, the official Roman Catholic newspaper in San Francisco, contained an advertisement for the QFI grocery store chain. The store locations listed in the ad were: Grand Central Market, Stonestown Market, Lick Supermarket and QFI-2900 Alemany, QFI-San Mateo, QFI-Millbrae and QFI-South San Francisco. So it appears that not all stores in the chain bore the "QFI" label.
Veteran
A December 1957 San Mateo Times article about the opening of the South San Francisco QFI also listed Balboa Super. The South San Francisco location was the first QFI operation outside of San Francisco, and the first one that was just called "QFI".Jason B. wrote:The March 10, 1966 edition of The Monitor, the official Roman Catholic newspaper in San Francisco, contained an advertisement for the QFI grocery store chain. The store locations listed in the ad were: Grand Central Market, Stonestown Market, Lick Supermarket and QFI-2900 Alemany, QFI-San Mateo, QFI-Millbrae and QFI-South San Francisco. So it appears that not all stores in the chain bore the "QFI" label.
Veteran
Replying to this ancient thread because of the two old QFI stores still on El Camino near me:
- the South San Francisco location closed as Bell Markets in the 2000s and has been Pacific Super since about 2013-14.
- the Millbrae location was Office Depot until early in the pandemic and has been empty since, save for maybe a brief stint as one of those Spirit Halloween Superstore type of deals. Building still standing.
- the South San Francisco location closed as Bell Markets in the 2000s and has been Pacific Super since about 2013-14.
- the Millbrae location was Office Depot until early in the pandemic and has been empty since, save for maybe a brief stint as one of those Spirit Halloween Superstore type of deals. Building still standing.
Chris Sampang
Veteran
Some updates:
- the former QFI/Bell Market/Office Depot in Millbrae along El Camino Real finally got demolished in the past week. Was a Spirit Halloween store a while ago as its last retail operation. (Always fascinated how this shared the same lot as a long-running Safeway, I want to say QFI predates the original marina Safeway building in that shopping center.)
Planned to be replaced with apartments:
https://www.smdailyjournal.com/news/loc ... 630ad.html
- the former QFI that later was Pacific Super until 2023 at 2900 Alemany in San Francisco was supposed to become an Island Pacific supermarket, but is now slated to become a rock climbing gym:
https://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisc ... g-gym.html
- the former QFI/Bell Market/Office Depot in Millbrae along El Camino Real finally got demolished in the past week. Was a Spirit Halloween store a while ago as its last retail operation. (Always fascinated how this shared the same lot as a long-running Safeway, I want to say QFI predates the original marina Safeway building in that shopping center.)
Planned to be replaced with apartments:
https://www.smdailyjournal.com/news/loc ... 630ad.html
- the former QFI that later was Pacific Super until 2023 at 2900 Alemany in San Francisco was supposed to become an Island Pacific supermarket, but is now slated to become a rock climbing gym:
https://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisc ... g-gym.html
Chris Sampang