YOSEMITE (KMJ) — An online effort against plans to open a Starbucks inside Yosemite National Park has surpassed its goal of 5,000 signatures.
But Yosemite Hospitality said the change.org petition (click here) is incorrect. The company managing concessions on site revealed that ongoing work to enhance the guest experience includes Starbucks, but will also include other food items, services, and amenities.
“The Starbucks offering will occupy existing space,” wrote David Freireich with parent company Aramark, in a statement to KMJ News.
“No new structures or standalone stores are being built as part of this renovation. This project is one of the many improvements that Yosemite Hospitality will complete over the next few years.”
The online petition described the development as a slippery slope, and the decision will cause the park to “lose its essence, making it hardly distinguishable from a chaotic and bustling commercial city.”
But Freireich said the aim is to enhance the guest experience.
“To provide them with a variety of offerings and unique and new experiences they’re familiar with.”
Renovations to the Base Camp Eatery, as it will be known, are set to be completed in the spring.
Hear the report from KMJ’s Dominic McAndrew as it aired:
