MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes Opens 1 New Location Per Month in Q1, Lays the Groundwork for an Exceptional Year

MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes has spent the first quarter carefully planning to excel through the remainder of 2023. With three new openings and an additional 13 slotted for the rest of the year, the burger concept is expanding in St. Louis, Lubbock, Phoenix, Southern California, Dallas-Fort Worth, Boca Raton and Boston.

New locations and growth

• The three most recent openings occurred in Carlsbad, California, in partnership with Green Madness Group; Gallatin, Tennessee, owned by Jake and Erin Rightmyer; and Fairfield, California, owned by Indy Pahwa, who is also President of Bay Valley Development.

The brand is working to lay a foundation to sign 15 new franchisees to join the brand by the end of the year. With a new prototype rolling out, which decreases square footage and optimizes for off-premise sales, the first drive-thru location in construction, and new Franchise Owner incentives launching in April, President and COO Doug Willmarth says he is looking forward to strong demand for franchisees in the coming quarters.

• A key offering is MOOYAH’s new reduced royalty option, which allows qualified Franchise Owners who secure a lease in 2023 to pay zero royalties for the remainder of the year and benefit from reduced royalties for three additional years.

Franchise incentives and support

MOOYAH will be accelerating its unit growth significantly in the next three years, and the new incentive creates a great opportunity for new Franchise Owners to increase their returns, explained Willmarth. The brand has added a new executive to the corporate team: Vice President of Ops Services Gary Lisenbee, who has a strong background in restaurant training, operations support, and Franchise Owner engagement.

• In order to better support new Franchise Owners through the brand’s aggressive expansion, MOOYAH added a new executive to the corporate team: Vice President of Ops Services Gary Lisenbee.

Willmarth added that this hire signifies an evolution of the brand. For the first time ever, there is a member of the leadership team specifically dedicated to operational services who will support each restaurant in launching and running more efficiently.

As it grows on the franchise side, MOOYAH continues to become even more popular among Guests. Starting March 6, the brand partnered with Kellogg’s for a limited time only Froot Loops shake, which is available through May 28. It has also added a Hot Bacon Jam burger to its Burger Hall of ‘Dang!’ line-up, which is only available to guests in the know, ordering online or in-store.

• “Over the last three years, we’ve outperformed the industry on both sales and traffic,” Willmarth said. “We have opened new markets and have attractive territories available, so now is the perfect time to join the brand, as we expect the incentive program to generate a lot of interest.”