A three-unit franchise agreement has been signed between Café Yumm! and a husband and wife team who will actively develop restaurant locations in the greater Boise region. The agreement for restaurant development in one of America’s fastest-growing metropolitan areas marks Café Yumm!’s entry into a new state and market. This is also the first multi-unit agreement for Café Yumm!.
Café Yumm! is an Oregon-based restaurant system, franchisor, and fine foods distributer founded in Eugene in 1997. Café Yumm! had two restaurants when franchising began in 2007. Twenty units have opened in the past decade (both franchised and company-owned). Café Yumm! operated restaurants only in Oregon until late 2013 when a franchise opened in downtown Seattle, Washington. Today there are three Café Yumm! restaurants in Washington and 19 in Oregon (one opening mid-April 2018).
Mark Beauchamp, President and Co-founder of Café Yumm! states, “From the time Mary Ann [Mark’s wife and founding partner] and I opened our first restaurant, we hoped to someday bring Café Yumm! to other cities in Oregon, then to Washington, and eventually to the rest of America. It was part of our desire to nourish humanity and the world—something we could achieve by introducing new guests and communities to sustainable, healthy options that are delicious and unexpected.”
Multi-unit franchisees Dave and Rebecca Blewett have extensive business operations experience, and Rebecca brings personal passion for Café Yumm! to their new business. Rebecca will manage and operate the restaurants. Site evaluations and development planning are already underway. The newly signed agreement allows the franchisees to open restaurants throughout the Boise metro area over the next few years.
Dave, a native Idahoan and graduate of the University of Idaho states, “We reached out to the franchisor of Café Yumm! because their restaurant and business models are unique. The franchisor considers social and environmental impacts when making business decisions. The restaurants and menu are unlike anything else. We think Boise is hungry for a place like this. Diners are embracing new flavors and businesses that do things differently. People who want something special are going to love Café Yumm!.”
Rebecca says, “Before moving to Boise in 2011, Café Yumm! was my go-to choice for dining out with friends and family in Oregon. I felt good about the nourishing, delicious food. There were unique flavors, plenty of healthy options, and the restaurants were always friendly and inviting.”
“After moving to Boise, I started serving my own Café Yumm! creations to friends and family. I could do this thanks to the restaurant’s signature Yumm! Sauce® you can buy to enjoy at home. My husband brings back a cooler full of Yumm! Sauce every time he travels to Oregon for work. I bet he has cleaned out the inventory at several stores.”
“Because of those supply runs, I have friends in Idaho who are addicted to the restaurant’s signature Yumm! Sauce without the experience of ever having dined in a Café Yumm! restaurant.”
“Owning a Café Yumm! has been a dream of mine because I believe people and communities can benefit from having more nourishing choices available to fuel our busy lives. I am passionate about health and nutrition and I was thrilled to franchise once my amazing and supportive husband got on board with the idea.”
“I can’t wait to introduce my community to the same experience, nourishment, and tastes I loved in Oregon,” says Rebecca.
Mark Beauchamp adds, “Rebecca Blewett brings shrewd business sense, tremendous enthusiasm, and a profound desire to serve others to her new venture. That combination will be an asset to her restaurant and her Team Members, as well as the local community and the Café Yumm! brand. We are actively looking for more operators like the Blewetts who have the resources and energy to open multiple locations.”
“It took 21 years for us to open 22 restaurants. This multi-unit agreement represents the beginning of a new growth phase for Café Yumm!. While I am delighted multi-unit operators are talking to us about how to bring Café Yumm! to other areas, we would not be where we are today without our early single-unit franchisees—most of whom have opened second units,” adds Beauchamp.
