Café Yumm! announced the grand opening of its new restaurant in downtown Portland, Oregon, at 301 SW Morrison St.
Grand opening festivities begin at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, May 25, with a ribbon cutting at the store sponsored by the Portland Business Alliance. Members of the Portland Business Alliance and Cori Jacobs, downtown retail advocate, will join Café Yumm! founders Mark and Mary Ann Beauchamp in welcoming Café Yumm! to the downtown retail core.
Importantly, once certified, Café Yumm! will be the first LEED Gold Rated fast-casual restaurant in the state of Oregon.
The downtown Café Yumm! was remodeled in an existing 2750-square-foot space across from Nordstrom Rack. The restaurant was built according to Gold Standards for retail space established by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).
According to Restaurant Business Magazine, only 62 out of more than 6,000 LEED-certified buildings throughout the U.S.belong to restaurants. Café Yumm! is the first restaurant in Oregonto be built following Gold Standard. The application for certification is in the process of being reviewed by the Council.
“LEED certification is significant,” says co-founder Mark Beauchamp, “because it re-establishes Café Yumm!’s commitment to sustainability in all that we do.”
Café Yumm! continues to shrink its carbon footprint whether through locally sourced food, use of green energy sources, or now by building a restaurant to LEED Gold Standards. The downtown restaurant visibly demonstrates that Café Yumm! Remains steadfastly committed to sustainable, more environmentally friendly business practices.
“These practices, for instance, include using paints with zero volatile organic chemicals, plumbing fixtures with lower water flow, sensors to regulate heating and cooling systems, and pressed plant-based building materials and recycled wood throughout the restaurant,” Beauchamp says.
In fact, earlier this year Café Yumm! was awarded the Bold Steps Award Toward Sustainability by the Mayor of Eugene, Oregon. Café Yumm! has also been awarded an Emerald Award for Environmental Values by the Chamber of Commerce and a RE:think Award by the environmental group BRING Recycling.
“Not only does Café Yumm! serve beautiful, delicious, nourishing food, but we serve it in a more sustainable manner,” Beauchamp says.
Beginning at 4:00 p.m.on Wednesday, the restaurant will provide a small Original Yumm! Bowl free of charge to the first 200 people who request one. The Original Yumm! Bowl is one of the most popular offerings on the menu and consists of organic Oregon-grown black Turtle Beans and organic brown rice layered with Yumm! Sauce, black olives, organic salsa, sour cream, Tillamookcheddar cheese, cilantro, tomatoes, and avocados. All natural chicken breast is available upon request as an add-on.
Café Yumm! fans on Facebook will want to monitor status to learn about special giveaways and offerings between now and the grand opening. Visit www.facebook.com/cafeyumm to become a fan.
Founders Mark and Mary Ann Beauchamp will be available in the restaurant after the ribbon cutting until 2:00 p.m.to meet with fans and guests alike. The Beauchamps will have gift cards to the Duck Store, the Beaver Store, and Café Yumm! to distribute to guests who say the correct phrase during the promotion period. Become a fan of Café Yumm! on Facebook to learn more.
