Café Yumm! is planning to open at 2601 N. Pearl St. in early 2027, taking over the former Big Chicken space at Westgate North Shopping Center. The news comes from an October 6 report by Puget Sound Business Journal. The restaurant will share a building with Habit Burger & Grill.
Big Chicken, the chain co-founded by basketball star Shaquille O’Neal, opened its Tacoma restaurant in 2024. It permanently closed earlier this year. Its replacement will bring a menu centered on rice-and-bean bowls rather than fried chicken sandwiches.
For anyone unfamiliar with Café Yumm!, its Original bowl combines organic brown rice and black beans with mild red salsa and the company’s signature Yumm! Sauce. Toppings include avocado, cheddar, tomatoes, sour cream, olives and cilantro. Other bowls mix things up with ingredients such as edamame, chipotle chili or jalapeño-sesame salsa.
Customization is part of the menu, too. Customers can add chicken or seasoned organic tofu, and the Original bowl can be made vegan by replacing its cheese and sour cream with vegetables or extra avocado. The chain also offers wraps and soups, giving newcomers options beyond its best-known bowl.
The Tacoma restaurant will be company-operated and marks the chain’s return to Puget Sound after its Seattle location closed in 2023. The Business Journal reports that renovation work is scheduled to begin in November. For now, early 2027 is the reported opening target—something to keep in mind when planning a future North Pearl lunch stop.
Read the original article here.
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