Chick-fil-A, The Wave Carwash, Chipotle and Dutch Bros submit site plans to operate in Yelm

Yelm will soon potentially have several more fast food options throughout town.

According to Mayor Joe DePinto, popular takeout spots Chick-fil-A and Chipotle, along with Dutch Bros Coffee, have submitted plans to the city to construct and open up.

DePinto first announced the news of Chick-fil-A’s submission of site plans in a Facebook post during the afternoon hours of Saturday, Nov. 15, where he wrote, “Also some more big news… Chick-fil-A is coming to Yelm, along with The Wave Carwash.”

In an interview with the Nisqually Valley News on Monday, Nov. 17, DePinto confirmed that along with the potential Chick-fil-A and The Wave Carwash, Chipotle and Dutch Bros have also been included in site plans for a Yelm location near Walmart Boulevard and State route 510.

“They submitted a site plan, which includes a Chick-fil-A right off of Walmart Boulevard and SR 510 — where the current stoplight is now, which eventually is going to be a roundabout,” DePinto said on Monday, Nov. 17. “I didn’t realize it before, but there’s going to be a Chipotle going in there, along with a Dutch Bros. Just because they submitted a plan doesn’t mean they have to build. They could choose not to follow through, but this is more than they’ve ever done before.”

DePinto added that Chick-fil-A has shown interest in Yelm previously and that the organization has had conversations with City of Yelm staff — though conversations have never progressed this far before.

“This is the first real step. I think they wanted to wait for the Yelm Loop — that was one of the biggest things, I believe, they were waiting on,” DePinto said. “They’ll have to continue with different plans, submitting those and submitting different permits. The permitting phase is probably the next phase where we can say they’re officially coming to Yelm. If it’s going to happen next year, we’ll probably see them submit permits by the spring time, if not sooner.”

The mayor speculates that Chick-fil-A, Chipotle, Dutch Bros and The Wave Carwash could open as early as the end of 2026, depending on when the businesses apply for various permits. He described the plans for these locations opening in Yelm as preliminary, but believes Yelm is on the right track to be called home by several new businesses.

“I think that a lot of businesses are seeing the growth that we’ve had in Yelm over the past three decades, basically,” DePinto said. “We’ve doubled in size multiple times. The last four years here we’ve achieved new water rights, which was a big indicator for businesses who wanted to come in prior but weren’t able to. Seeing that our transportation projects are finally coming in like the Yelm Loop, that’s a huge one for them. In general, I think it means that Yelm is on the right trajectory here as far as growth, doing growth the right way, making sure there’s a good mixture of residential and commercial space.”

Soon, the intersection of Walmart Boulevard and State route 510 will be transformed to include a roundabout, and connections to the planned Yelm Bypass and Southern Loop. Though the Southern Loop will span from Tahoma Boulevard to State Route 507 in Phase One of the project, the road will eventually have an outlet to the planned roundabout in front of Walmart.

DePinto believes this region in Yelm will soon be home to more commercial development.

“This is the area we’re going to see a lot of this big development in,” DePinto said. “I think we might see a big box store come in within the next five to 10 years too. I’m thinking either a Home Depot or a Lowe’s.”

The potential additions of Chick-fil-A, Chipotle and Dutch Bros would join Wing Stop, Jimmy Johns and Baskin Robbins, Starbucks and Farrellis as new franchised dining options in Yelm over recent years.