YAKIMA, Wash. —The Yakima Valley was among 21 new store locations Famous Dave’s announced today.
This is a bit of old news as CenterCal Properties confirmed in June that it secured a lease with the Minneapolis-based barbecue restaurant chain for a space at Washington Plaza in Union Gap, where J.C. Penney and Cabela’s opened early last month. CenterCal Properties CEO Fred Bruning anticipated that the restaurant would open early next year.
What’s still unclear is whether the Union Gap location will be under the company’s traditional store format or under a new smaller format, fast-casual concept called Famous Dave’s BBQ Shack. The Yakima Valley has been the launching pad for smaller-format concepts of other retailers, I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw a similar scenario here. On the other hand, the Washington Plaza space has room for a bigger restaurant.
What are your thoughts on Famous Dave’s coming to the area? Share your thoughts in the comments.