Yakima business tidbits: Legends turns 25; Fuji restaurant to open May 31

Confetti is unleashed as Legends Casino and Hotel celebrates its 25th anniversary on May 15.

Legends Casino Hotel celebrated its 25th anniversary on May 15 in Toppenish.

Owned and operated by the Yakama Nation, Legends Casino opened in May 1998 where it originally offered Class III table games, along with Class II gaming such as poker, pull tabs and Class II machines, according to the casino's website.

The 200-room hotel and expanded gaming floor opened in March 2017, with the latter offering more than 1,300 slot machines, 19 table games and a poker room. An event center offers a variety of concerts and other entertainment, and a buffet, full-service restaurant, food court and coffee bar also are available.

Legends’ anniversary celebration started with welcoming remarks from General Manager Letisha Peterson and a blessing from Jeremy Takala and Gerald Lewis.

A countdown to 11 a.m., the time Legends Casino's doors first opened 25 years ago, concluded with pyrotechnic show and massive amounts of gold confetti.

Cupcakes were available throughout the day for guests and there was a special $15 buffet all day. Jokers Run played in the afternoon on the gaming floor.

Atomic Punks, a Van Halen tribute band, played a free, all ages show in the event center at 8 p.m.

Valley Mall management and local restauranter Kesong Wang are planning a grand opening and ribbon cutting event for Fuji Restaurant, located in the renovated Old Country Buffet building near the Valley Mall in Union Gap.

The event is scheduled at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at 2513 Main St., across from Macy's in the main Valley Mall building.

"We are delighted to bring Fuji Restaurant to Valley Mall and to Yakima Valley," said Wang, owner and operator of Fuji, in a news release. "Our goal is to provide a dining experience that caters to diverse tastes and preferences, offering an extensive selection of dishes that are prepared with care and attention to detail.

Wang also operates Kyoto Sushi & Steakhouse near the Yakima Air Terminal.

For the Valley Mall Fuji Restaurant location, Wang oversaw an extensive building remodel. The new restaurant offers a family style buffet with stir-fry, conveyor belt sushi and Hibachi.

Fuji Restaurant will be open for lunch and dinner, seven days a week and features a party room that can host up to 40 guests. Hours of operation have not been announced, but more information is available by calling the restaurant at 509-577-4680 or visiting shopatvalleymall.com.

The Current highlights business news throughout Yakima County. Send your information to business reporter Joel Donofrio at [email protected] or call 509-759-7851.

Business Reporter

Joel Donofrio is the business reporter for the Yakima Herald. He was born and raised in the Chicago area, but he and his wife, Cathy, fell in love with the beauty (and low humidity) of the West and moved here in 2009, eventually relocating to Yakima in September 2021. They have two young adult children, Anthony and Joanna, and a dog, Molly. When he is not taking photos of construction sites, tracking down new and relocating businesses or catching up on agricultural trends, Joel enjoys playing guitar, singing, listening to music and playing and watching sports.

Explore editor

Hi! I’m Sara Rae Shields, Explore editor for the Yakima Herald-Republic. I’m a very outgoing and sociable person and I want to share with readers what's going on in the Yakima Valley. I also want to hear from you. Let's create strong community bonds over the fun events and fascinating people to meet in the area. I’m Wapato born and raised and love meeting locals and transplants. I spend a lot of time supporting the Seattle Sounders as part of the Dry Side Supporters, raving about my rescue dog, Telly and hanging out at local gathering spots like restaurants,breweries, wineries and bars. Prior to working for YHR, I was a GIS Specialist for the Yakama Nation and take great pride in the 15 years I spent working for my tribe. I also coached middle school girls’ soccer in Wapato and worked the front desk at a tattoo/body piercing shop.

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