Oregon-based food chain Cafe Yumm announced its return to the Puget Sound area, planting its seeds in Tacoma’s North End neighborhood this time around.
The cafe plans to open in early 2027, claiming a 2,800-square-foot space at 2601 N Pearl Street, previously home to Big Chicken, according to The Puget Sound Business Journal.
The 29-year-old rice bowl maker previously operated at 717 Pine Street near the convention center before closing in 2023. The company cited unfavorable business conditions after roughly a decade of service.
Tacoma location marks renewed push into Puget Sound
Surrounding the newest Cafe Yumm location at Westgate North Shopping Center is the California-based Habit Burger & Grill, which has been in Washington since 2015, when it opened up shop in Kent. To spruce up the rest of the space, a $200,000 tenant improvement project is slated to begin in November, according to documents filed with the city, obtained by The Puget Sound Business Journal.
Of the 22 Cafe Yumm locations, five of them are franchises. The newest Tacoma location will be company-operated, according to Ted Morgan, Cafe Yumm’s director of marketing and communications.
“This is a great location and the business conditions are right to expand into the Puget Sound market,” Morgan told The Puget Sound Business Journal. “We are seeing a greater demand from the region.”
Although it’s been nearly four years since Cafe Yumm cited unfavorable business conditions in its exit from Seattle, the company has kept an open mind about returning.
“We are looking to expand across the Puget Sound,” Morgan said.
Cafe Yumm also has a significant local presence in grocery stores across the Puget Sound through its Yumm sauce, which is currently sold at retailers such as Metropolitan Market and Whole Foods. Previously, the sauce was distributed only within the Pacific Northwest but has since expanded to California.
Cafe Yumm currently has two Washington locations, both in Vancouver: Mill Plain Crossing and Cascade Park Plaza. The rest of the company’s restaurants are located throughout Oregon, except for one in Idaho.
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