Yakima Bringing, Yet, Another Starbucks and People are Questioning Why

Yakima is the kind of town that people get excited for new restaurants and businesses opening up. When there's first sight of a new business being built, rumors already start running wild of what the place is or should be.

Hogback Development is no stranger to putting in new businesses to the Yakima valley. They just announced and shared photos of a new place going in Union Gap. That business? Starbucks. Yes, another Starbucks.

I have no issues with Starbucks. People love them, they're consistent and they hire a ton of people per location. Many people in the comments, however, seemed it was Starbucks going in and not something we didn't already have or even something with a bit more of a local flair.

Whenever new businesses pop up we constantly hear people asking for Chic-fil-A or Trader Joes. Maybe a Whole Foods would do well in Yakima? I think it would. Any of those would be fantastic. But here we are, again, with another Starbucks, again.

Again, I don't hate the concept and the location in Union Gap being in front of Winco is a great location for any shop, I think, with how much traffic Valley Mall Blvd gets with Cosco, Winco, Toyota and Lowes all in that same area. I mean, another coffee shop could have went in that location. There's been nothing in that plot for literal years but Starbucks was first to step-up, put up a new shop, hire a ton of employees (which Starbucks always does) and go from there.

This won't be the last time we get a new Starbucks, I'm sure. Maybe new business owners can use this for motivation on not to wait for the next awesome thing to happen in Yakima but become the change they wish to see. Again, it only costs $10,000 to franchise a Chic-fil-A.