After 13 years, the time has come for Café Yumm! on Broadway to close its doors.
The restaurant (located at the corner of Hilyard Street and E Broadway) is one of several properties recently purchased by a developer. It is bittersweet news to announce that our last day of service will be on September 25, 2020. We understand that demolition is planned for the near future to make way for a multistory, mixed-use building – read more here.
The good news is that our wonderful Team Members at the Broadway restaurant will be transferring to a brand new Café Yumm! location near the University of Oregon coming October 2020! The grand opening of our new restaurant on E 13th Ave will be announced soon, and we are so happy to continue serving the campus community with a convenient spot located just across the street from The Duck Store and Blue Heron Cycles.
A look back at Broadway…
In 2007, Café Yumm! on Broadway became our fifth restaurant to open following locations in the 5th Street Market, the Meridian at 18th and Willamette, Oakway Center, and North Delta Center. With its close proximity to downtown and the university, it was thrilling to have a restaurant that stood prominently along busy Franklin Blvd. We knew the visibility of this location would act as a billboard to show the community what Café Yumm! stands for and how we invest in our values.
Mark Beauchamp, the president and co-founder of Café Yumm!, saw great opportunity in the property’s immense asphalt lot and exposed roof. He became inspired to collaborate with Advanced Energy Systems to install the first solar-powered electric vehicle charging station at any restaurant in the US. As a multi-faceted project, this installation consisted of a 172-panel rooftop solar array, covered parking, awnings with solar, and solar-powered EV charging stations.
After nearly 2 years of planning, preparation, and design, the final installation completed in 2011 at a cost of $350,000. This major investment in green power, which could have financed two new restaurants, reflected the company’s commitment to being an innovator in sustainable business practices.
Thanks to its spacious build-out, the Broadway restaurant was also a production hub with a second kitchen that allowed us to prepare soups, cookies, sauces, and proprietary spice mixes for multiple locations. In fact, the Broadway restaurant once supported prep work for 11 locations each day.
It also offered the perfect space for training new Team Members. Cultivating professional growth and career development became a core part of the restaurant’s function within the Café Yumm! system. Today, we are working with each Team Member at the Broadway restaurant to find positions for them within Café Yumm!, and we are thankful to have some of these experienced Yumm!ers staff our two new locations opening in Eugene this year.
As this chapter ends, Café Yumm! is looking forward to new projects in 2020.
We are happy to announce that our nourishing menu will be served near the UO campus at 860 E 13th Ave beginning in October. With a fun spin on the classic Yumm! dining experience, this new restaurant will reflect the creative energy of campus with original artwork, unique tile flooring, and a lush array of hanging and potted plants. The casual lounge atmosphere features a variety of seating, including cozy booths, outdoor patio tables, and a live-edge community table made from a salvaged maple tree.
In addition to the food menu, there will also be beer on tap, a selection of wine, and locally roasted organic coffee. University students and faculty have long been fans of the quick service and healthy options at the Café Yumm! restaurant on Broadway. This new restaurant located across from the UO bookstore and just a block from the main campus will be an even more convenient option for lunch and dinner, as well as an ideal “third place” locale for study breaks and group meetups when restaurant dine-in resumes.
We are also thrilled to be returning to the 5th Street Public Market as part of a vibrant expansion project that will complete this fall. This modern city center location, which will be home to two hotels, new apartments, office spaces, restaurants, and retail shops, will allow us to serve the downtown community and bring Café Yumm! back to where our story began in 1993. Easily walkable from the park blocks, this location will also have ample parking and access to EmGo, a free, sustainable ride service available through LTD, making it an easy destination when the Yumm! craving hits.
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