Cala was a San Francisco area chain founded by the seven Cala brothers which began operations in a former Public Foods store at 633 Bush Street in 1942. Innovative at its peak, Cala was the first chain in San Francisco to operate 24 hours a day, and among the first in the country to use scanners. In 1965, the company expaded with the purchase of Littleman Stores. Further expansion came in 1973 with the acquisition of QFI and in 1976 with the purchase of Jolly Markets in Marin County. The company itself was acquired by Yucaipa in 1988, aligning itself with Boys, Viva, and FoodsCo in Southern California.