Cafe Yumm!

Cafe Yumm! began in 1997 when Mary Ann and Mark Beauchamp opened the first location in downtown Eugene, Oregon. Before that, Mary Ann had created a signature rice and bean bowl with a proprietary sauce at Wild Rose Café & Deli, which she opened in 1991. Demand for the bowl led the Beauchamps to convert their juice bar space into the first dedicated Cafe Yumm! location that same year. The franchisor is Beau Delicious! International, LLC, headquartered in Eugene, Oregon, and the brand began offering franchise agreements in 2007. Cafe Yumm! operates in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho through company owned and franchised units. The system reached 23 locations by early 2019 and had 22 restaurants as of early 2026. In January 2026, Cafe Yumm! announced a strategic partnership with CapitalSpring, a private equity firm with restaurant growth experience. CapitalSpring is backing expansion of company owned restaurants and national growth for the consumer packaged goods line, especially Yumm! Sauce, which is sold in over 160 grocery stores across the Pacific Northwest. Cafe Yumm! is a 28 year old regional brand with a loyal customer base, founder involvement, and new institutional capital supporting its next growth phase.

Cafe Yumm! operates in the healthy fast casual segment within the broader limited service restaurant market. The global limited service restaurant market was estimated at $871 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach approximately $1.44 trillion by 2034, representing a compound annual growth rate of 5.7 percent. In the United States, the limited service restaurant market is estimated at $97.85 billion in 2025 and is forecast to reach $133.71 billion by 2030, implying a CAGR of 6.45 percent over five years. Health conscious dining, customizable and plant based options, organic and environmentally responsible sourcing, and fast service are supporting demand. Delivery and takeout in the limited service sector increased by more than 20 percent in the past year, while digital ordering and mobile payments are changing unit economics. Cafe Yumm! serves this market with rice bowls, proprietary sauce, plant forward ingredients, and customizable toppings. Its core customer group includes health conscious, value seeking adults aged 25 to 54 who care about ingredient transparency and environmental responsibility. The brand was named Most Environmentally Friendly Business in 2009 and received Eugene Weekly awards for Best Vegetarian from 2014 through 2018.

The initial Cafe Yumm! franchise fee is $35,000. Healthy fast casual franchise fees commonly range from $30,000 to $50,000. The total initial investment ranges from approximately $152,900 to $842,000. Brand disclosures identify approximately $406,000 to $600,000 as a representative range for a full format restaurant buildout. The difference between the low and high investment figures can reflect real estate conditions in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, construction and buildout requirements, equipment choices, and whether the restaurant converts an existing food service space or uses a ground up build. The stated minimum liquid capital requirement is $150,000. The ongoing royalty is 6 percent of gross sales, compared with typical fast casual royalty structures ranging from 4 percent to 8 percent. Beau Delicious! International, LLC is the franchisor. The January 2026 CapitalSpring partnership provides institutional financial backing that may support franchisee infrastructure, marketing investment, and supply chain improvements over time. Yumm! Sauce is distributed through more than 160 Pacific Northwest grocery stores and the brand's online store, creating consumer exposure that may also increase awareness of restaurant locations. Unit figures vary by source and reporting period. The database lists 9 total units and 4 franchised units, while January 2026 reporting cited 22 total restaurants and 5 franchised locations. This difference may reflect movement between company owned and franchised operations.

Daily operations center on the Yumm! Bowl, which combines rice, beans, fresh toppings, and proprietary Yumm! Sauce in a customizable assembly line format. The model is designed for fast casual throughput with manageable staffing needs. Franchisee training includes two weeks of classroom instruction, one week of on site pre opening support, and one week of post opening field support, for approximately four weeks of structured onboarding. Field support covers business consulting, operations management, real estate site selection and acquisition, construction oversight, marketing execution, bookkeeping, and vendor relations. The senior management team has reportedly remained largely intact since the franchise program began in 2007, preserving institutional knowledge for franchisees. Co founders Mark and Mary Ann Beauchamp reportedly remain involved in operations. Employee reviews on platforms such as Indeed mention flexible management and strong workplace culture at individual locations, while some reviews also report understaffing. The system remains concentrated in Pacific Northwest markets. That gives the support team regional knowledge of real estate and permitting, but it may be less useful to an investor considering a market at the edge of the current footprint.

Candidates should request historical financial information directly from existing franchisees whose contact information must be included in the FDD. The concept grew from approximately 10 locations in 2010 to 23 locations by 2019. Sauce consumer product visibility on restaurant traffic. The PeerSense database assigns Cafe Yumm! a Loan Activity Score of 41, rated Fair. The score reflects available information on unit count, financial disclosure, and system maturity.

Cafe Yumm! has passed through several growth stages since Mark and Mary Ann Beauchamp opened the first downtown Eugene location in 1997. Franchising began in 2007. By July 2010, the system had 10 Oregon locations and a reported four year growth rate of 279 percent. The brand appeared on Inc. magazine's list of the 5,000 fastest growing private companies in America for three consecutive years. In 2010, it was identified as the number one fastest growing food and beverage company in Oregon and number 27 in the nation. The system reached 15 locations by 2015, 23 by early 2019, and reported 22 restaurants in January 2026. In November 2021, Beau Delicious! International acquired two previously franchised Cafe Yumm! locations in Bend, Oregon, returning them to company ownership to preserve operational continuity. The January 2026 CapitalSpring partnership brings institutional growth capital and restaurant operating experience to a system that had previously expanded primarily through organic reinvestment. A new company owned location in the Cedar Mill area near Portland, Oregon, is scheduled to open in spring 2026. Expansion of the consumer packaged goods business into national grocery distribution offers another channel for consumer awareness beyond the Pacific Northwest. Cafe Yumm! was recognized on the QSR Magazine 40/40 List in 2018 as one of America's hottest startup fast casual brands. Eugene area media awards dating to 2009 also document local consumer loyalty. The brand's differentiation rests on its proprietary sauce, regional identity built over nearly 30 years, and founder led culture with management continuity.

A suitable Cafe Yumm! candidate may be an owner operator or a small multi unit investor with management experience in food service, hospitality, or another high volume consumer setting. The training program is also intended to support qualified candidates with strong general business skills who lack a restaurant background. The franchisor encourages candidates to speak with current franchise owners, and those owners' contact information is provided in the FDD. Current operations are concentrated in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. The CapitalSpring partnership announcement describes plans to deepen the Pacific Northwest presence before pursuing wider national growth, so available territories are more likely to be near existing markets than in distant new regions. Earlier plans called for expansion into Seattle and eventually California, but the 2008 to 2010 recession delayed those efforts significantly. The FDD provides information about existing franchisees and the terms for franchise agreement length, renewal, transfer, and resale. Buyers should review those materials with independent legal and financial advisors before making a commitment of this size. For investors focused on the Pacific Northwest, the regional footprint means site selection assistance, vendor relationships, and field operations support are calibrated to regulatory, labor, and real estate conditions in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho.

The available information describes Cafe Yumm! as a regional fast casual brand with nearly 30 years of operating history, a proprietary product, and a January 2026 growth partnership with CapitalSpring. Yumm! Sauce is sold through more than 160 grocery stores in the Pacific Northwest, while the healthy fast casual segment is projected to grow at a 13.7 percent CAGR through 2029. The total investment range is $152,900 to $842,000, with a representative range of $406,000 to $600,000, an initial franchise fee of $35,000, and a royalty of 6 percent. The relatively small franchised unit count also provides less statistical history than larger franchise systems. PeerSense offers independent due diligence information, including SBA lending history, the Loan Activity Score, location maps with Google ratings, FDD financial data, and comparison tools for reviewing Cafe Yumm! against other fast casual concepts. The combination of regional recognition, CapitalSpring backing, a proprietary sauce business, and a United States healthy fast casual market estimated at $97.85 billion in 2025 gives Pacific Northwest investors a basis for further evaluation. PeerSense is a commercial capital advisory firm that introduces franchise buyers to SBA and conventional lenders. PeerSense is not a lender and does not approve or provide loans.