After 35 years of serving the Fort Collins community, local Lebanese and Jamaican restaurant Yum Yum Social closed its doors for the final time Aug. 29.
This Fort Collins restaurant was only meant to stay open for a short period of time, yet 35 years later, the Fort Collins community knows the owner by name and the dishes by heart.
In 1991, after immigrating to the United States a couple of years prior due to the Lebanese Civil War, Denise Hakim and her family opened Yum Yum Social.
“There was no choice,” Hakim said. “My mom was (a) very good cook, and we didn’t speak English.”
Hakim said it was the family’s limited knowledge of the language at the time that led to the formation of the Lebanese eatery’s distinct name.
“When (my mom) cooked, everyone said ‘yum yum,’” Hakim said.
Despite initial challenges due to an absence of Lebanese flavors in FoCo cuisine, as well as industry shifts and COVID-19, Hakim slowly became familiar with the community and the people within it, creating an intimate space for herself and her customers.
“It’s incredible,” Hakim said. “It’s like my family in America. It’s huge. … Everyone touched my heart in so many ways that I just know what they order and know what they like. It’s kind of nice. This becomes your home.”
The restaurant has also had a profound impact on its employees.
“I’ve grown very extremely close to a lot of the people that work here, and it’s like a home for me,” said Adeline Osborn, an employee who has been with Yum Yum Social for four years. “They’re my family, and I will always have a relationship with all of them.”
Despite her close bond with her customers and employees, Hakim felt the urge to make a change, describing the decision process that went into closing the restaurant in a simple phrase: “I lost my vision in a certain way. … It was time.”
After the closure, Hakim said she plans to take time for herself to rest before she decides how she wants to continue her career. Although the restaurant’s closure may leave a hole in the community, the physical space will not remain empty for long.
The building will reopen to the public soon, however. A new eatery brought to the Fort Collins community run by Hunter Gottsch, who is a graduate from the Institute of Culinary Education in Pasadena, California, and a former employee of chef Jordan Kahn’s Los Angeles cafe Destroyer, will soon be making its debut in the space.
Gottsch said she hopes to use her Los Angeles origins to transform the space into an elevated cafe she plans to name Sugar Plum.
Behind the scenes, Hakim remains connected to the space, guiding and advising Gottsch to “enjoy the process” and to “keep going” in her endeavor to successfully open her first restaurant.
“I’m super appreciative of Denise and just how she’s been throughout this whole process,” Gottsch said. “She’s just made it so easy for me, and has been so helpful … with everything.”
Though bittersweet, Hakim and her employees said they view the eatery’s closure as an opportunity for new beginnings.
“I’m feeling hopeful,” Osborn said. “I’m feeling content, and I’m feeling possibility. I’m really looking forward to seeing what my coworkers and friends are going to do with their future.”
While Yum Yum Social’s closure marks the end of a chapter, Hakim hinted her time in the restaurant industry may not yet be finished.
“When I come back, you will know,” Hakim said.
Reach Lilly Vollmar at life@collegian.com or on social media @RMCollegian.
