Through a strategic partnership with CapitalSpring, the fast casual franchise concept Café Yumm! is modernizing its systems, expanding its reach and strengthening its ability to serve guests across the Pacific Northwest while staying true to the mission and values that have defined the brand for more than three decades.
“Café Yumm! was co-founded in the 1990’s. One of its cofounders, Mary Ann Beauchamp, was an Army brat who traveled extensively around the world. Her dad liked beans, her mom liked rice, and she liked both. So a lot of her recipes were connecting those two ingredients,” said Kim Boone, president of Café Yumm! “The signature Yumm! Sauce she created was originally meant to entice her toddlers to eat at restaurants. At the restaurant she owned, she cooked all the ethnic dishes she loved, but the rice and bean bowl with its signature sauce was what made the restaurant so popular. The name of the brand is derived from how much the customers loved the dish!”
From the beginning, the founders built the company around a triple bottom line mindset — people, planet and profits — long before it became a widespread business standard.
“When we make decisions, it might not always be the highest profitability decision,” Boone said. “We start everyone at Café Yumm! 10% over minimum wage, for example, and then they can earn up to three to four raises in the first few months. We have a really great benefits package, and we feed people a meal every day.”
The combination of values-based decision-making and a simple, well-executed operating model made franchising a natural step for expansion. “Around 2005, the cofounders realized that they needed to franchise to grow the brand quickly,” Boone said. “It was easy to franchise; they had developed a great business model with simple processes.”
Today, Café Yumm! operates 22 restaurants across the Pacific Northwest, with five franchised locations, and has expanded into consumer packaged goods through a growing grocery line.
The next phase of growth required a partner aligned not only with the brand’s ambitions, but also with its worldview.
The decision to partner with CapitalSpring came after a significant turning point for the company. “The founder’s husband passed away a few years ago, and that is when we started embarking on this new growth phase,” Boone said. “We engaged a broker and they introduced us to CapitalSpring.”
Before closing the transaction, both teams invested significant time in getting to know one another. That process reaffirmed their alignment in mission and philosophy. “We were recently at a conference and I had so many people tell us how wonderful it is to work with the CapitalSpring team,” Boone said. “Having that validation from others was really neat.”
For Boone, CapitalSpring’s reputation and relational approach made all the difference. “It’s their network of resources that is so important, whether it be working with consultants on packaging and design, or the real estate team, or the data and technology experts,” she said. “We wouldn’t have access to consultants or vendors of this caliber without them.”
As Café Yumm! prepared for multi-unit expansion, it became clear that major upgrades to the brand’s infrastructure were necessary. For years, the company relied on legacy systems simply because investing in new ones wasn’t feasible.
“We had systems that served us as a small brand, but to cue us up for strategic growth, we had to revamp,” Boone said.
When it comes to technology, for example, CapitalSpring’s support unlocked a full modernization plan. “We’ve worked with a tech consultant; we are revamping our entire tech stack with accounting software, business intelligence software, everything,” Boone said. “We’re launching a new POS with Toast. The reporting capabilities are great, but we didn’t have the capital before to invest in these.”
One of the biggest breakthroughs came from implementing Chabi, a business intelligence platform that aggregates data across the new tech stack. “We never had access even to entertain the idea of business intelligence,” Boone said, “but now we can look at our business and metrics in a way we never have before.”
Boone emphasizes the transformative impact the partnership has had on the team. “The tech consultant CapitalSpring introduced us to spending 20 to 30 hours with our team just talking about challenges and opportunities,” she said. “They crafted a full plan for us. We would never have had access to someone of that caliber.”
And the impact extends far beyond technology.
“They’ve introduced us to supply vendors we haven’t had access to,” Boone said. “With only 22 units and a small CPG line, we wouldn’t have access to a vendor of this caliber. Those umbrella contracts create a ton of value and help with logistics, too.”
Café Yumm! is also refreshing its consumer brand and marketing strategy to meet the expectations of younger audiences. “The company has been around a long time, and the target market has been moms and millennials,” Boone said. “As Gen Z enters the workforce, we are repositioning our marketing. It’s been incredibly helpful to lean on their expertise.”
On the development side, CapitalSpring’s analytics-driven real estate process is reshaping how the brand evaluates new markets. “They offer new site selection assistance; they can analyze data to determine the average income, traffic patterns, and more,” Boone said. “It changes the whole approach.”
With CapitalSpring as a strategic partner, Café Yumm! is pursuing a two-pronged growth plan: expanding company-owned restaurants in the Pacific Northwest and scaling its CPG line into a national brand.
Much of that growth will come from data-driven operational improvements. “We’re taking a look at all of our costs and finding ways to reduce them,” Boone said. “We are transitioning to an item-based scheduling model and taking a hard look at labor. A lot of that comes back to the tech stack and the data now at our fingertips.”
Boone says the relationship works because the CapitalSpring team challenges the brand to think differently while still respecting the culture.
“CapitalSpring’s approach to business and the way they think about metrics is that they ask a lot of questions and challenge our thinking, but they do it in a way that is focused and thoughtful,” she said. “Not all private equity firms are like that.”
For a mission-driven brand like Café Yumm!, choosing the right partner was essential. With CapitalSpring, Boone says, the team has found an investor that sees the brand’s potential while respecting the values that have shaped it.
“I truly believe that the cultural fit was the most important part,” she said. “CapitalSpring has been exactly the kind of partner we hoped for: supportive, collaborative and deeply invested in our long-term success.”
For more information on CapitalSpring visit: https://1851franchise.com/capitalspring/info.
The statements above represent the opinions of founders and senior executives of portfolio companies in which private funds advised by CapitalSpring have invested. These individuals are not clients of CapitalSpring and have not received any compensation for their endorsement. Because their companies benefit from a relationship with CapitalSpring, including investments by CapitalSpring and private funds that we advise, conflicts of interest may exist. Past performance is not indicative of future results. These endorsements should not be interpreted as investment advice or recommendations.
CapitalSpring
SPONSORED
Café Yumm! is expanding its company-owned restaurants and CPG line, backed by a private equity investment from CapitalSpring, to leverage new technology, data, and supply chain improvements.
Through a strategic partnership with CapitalSpring, the fast casual franchise concept Café Yumm! is modernizing its systems, expanding its reach and strengthening its ability to serve guests across the Pacific Northwest while staying true to the mission and values that have defined the brand for more than three decades.
“Café Yumm! was co-founded in the 1990’s. One of its cofounders, Mary Ann Beauchamp, was an Army brat who traveled extensively around the world. Her dad liked beans, her mom liked rice, and she liked both. So a lot of her recipes were connecting those two ingredients,” said Kim Boone, president of Café Yumm! “The signature Yumm! Sauce she created was originally meant to entice her toddlers to eat at restaurants. At the restaurant she owned, she cooked all the ethnic dishes she loved, but the rice and bean bowl with its signature sauce was what made the restaurant so popular. The name of the brand is derived from how much the customers loved the dish!”
From the beginning, the founders built the company around a triple bottom line mindset — people, planet and profits — long before it became a widespread business standard.
“When we make decisions, it might not always be the highest profitability decision,” Boone said. “We start everyone at Café Yumm! 10% over minimum wage, for example, and then they can earn up to three to four raises in the first few months. We have a really great benefits package, and we feed people a meal every day.”
The combination of values-based decision-making and a simple, well-executed operating model made franchising a natural step for expansion. “Around 2005, the cofounders realized that they needed to franchise to grow the brand quickly,” Boone said. “It was easy to franchise; they had developed a great business model with simple processes.”
Today, Café Yumm! operates 22 restaurants across the Pacific Northwest, with five franchised locations, and has expanded into consumer packaged goods through a growing grocery line.
The next phase of growth required a partner aligned not only with the brand’s ambitions, but also with its worldview.
The decision to partner with CapitalSpring came after a significant turning point for the company. “The founder’s husband passed away a few years ago, and that is when we started embarking on this new growth phase,” Boone said. “We engaged a broker and they introduced us to CapitalSpring.”
Before closing the transaction, both teams invested significant time in getting to know one another. That process reaffirmed their alignment in mission and philosophy. “We were recently at a conference and I had so many people tell us how wonderful it is to work with the CapitalSpring team,” Boone said. “Having that validation from others was really neat.”
For Boone, CapitalSpring’s reputation and relational approach made all the difference. “It’s their network of resources that is so important, whether it be working with consultants on packaging and design, or the real estate team, or the data and technology experts,” she said. “We wouldn’t have access to consultants or vendors of this caliber without them.”
As Café Yumm! prepared for multi-unit expansion, it became clear that major upgrades to the brand’s infrastructure were necessary. For years, the company relied on legacy systems simply because investing in new ones wasn’t feasible.
“We had systems that served us as a small brand, but to cue us up for strategic growth, we had to revamp,” Boone said.
When it comes to technology, for example, CapitalSpring’s support unlocked a full modernization plan. “We’ve worked with a tech consultant; we are revamping our entire tech stack with accounting software, business intelligence software, everything,” Boone said. “We’re launching a new POS with Toast. The reporting capabilities are great, but we didn’t have the capital before to invest in these.”
One of the biggest breakthroughs came from implementing Chabi, a business intelligence platform that aggregates data across the new tech stack. “We never had access even to entertain the idea of business intelligence,” Boone said, “but now we can look at our business and metrics in a way we never have before.”
Boone emphasizes the transformative impact the partnership has had on the team. “The tech consultant CapitalSpring introduced us to spending 20 to 30 hours with our team just talking about challenges and opportunities,” she said. “They crafted a full plan for us. We would never have had access to someone of that caliber.”
And the impact extends far beyond technology.
“They’ve introduced us to supply vendors we haven’t had access to,” Boone said. “With only 22 units and a small CPG line, we wouldn’t have access to a vendor of this caliber. Those umbrella contracts create a ton of value and help with logistics, too.”
Café Yumm! is also refreshing its consumer brand and marketing strategy to meet the expectations of younger audiences. “The company has been around a long time, and the target market has been moms and millennials,” Boone said. “As Gen Z enters the workforce, we are repositioning our marketing. It’s been incredibly helpful to lean on their expertise.”
On the development side, CapitalSpring’s analytics-driven real estate process is reshaping how the brand evaluates new markets. “They offer new site selection assistance; they can analyze data to determine the average income, traffic patterns, and more,” Boone said. “It changes the whole approach.”
With CapitalSpring as a strategic partner, Café Yumm! is pursuing a two-pronged growth plan: expanding company-owned restaurants in the Pacific Northwest and scaling its CPG line into a national brand.
Much of that growth will come from data-driven operational improvements. “We’re taking a look at all of our costs and finding ways to reduce them,” Boone said. “We are transitioning to an item-based scheduling model and taking a hard look at labor. A lot of that comes back to the tech stack and the data now at our fingertips.”
Boone says the relationship works because the CapitalSpring team challenges the brand to think differently while still respecting the culture.
“CapitalSpring’s approach to business and the way they think about metrics is that they ask a lot of questions and challenge our thinking, but they do it in a way that is focused and thoughtful,” she said. “Not all private equity firms are like that.”
For a mission-driven brand like Café Yumm!, choosing the right partner was essential. With CapitalSpring, Boone says, the team has found an investor that sees the brand’s potential while respecting the values that have shaped it.
“I truly believe that the cultural fit was the most important part,” she said. “CapitalSpring has been exactly the kind of partner we hoped for: supportive, collaborative and deeply invested in our long-term success.”
For more information on CapitalSpring visit: https://1851franchise.com/capitalspring/info.
The statements above represent the opinions of founders and senior executives of portfolio companies in which private funds advised by CapitalSpring have invested. These individuals are not clients of CapitalSpring and have not received any compensation for their endorsement. Because their companies benefit from a relationship with CapitalSpring, including investments by CapitalSpring and private funds that we advise, conflicts of interest may exist. Past performance is not indicative of future results. These endorsements should not be interpreted as investment advice or recommendations.
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