---
title: "The Smart Franchisee: Want Fries With That? An Interview with MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes President Tony Darden"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/331e3b06-d90b-4e63-a867-157d3d138672
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/the-smart-franchisee-want-fries-with-that-an-interview-with-mooyah-burgers-fries-shakes-president-tony-darden-2714863
category: "Burger"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Burger"
topics: ["People"]
published: 2021-01-28T22:17:25.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T02:26:11.826Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/df9c440f63d69c372a8186b868c5795b5068.jpg
---

# The Smart Franchisee: Want Fries With That? An Interview with MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes President Tony Darden

**TL;DR:** MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes President Tony Darden discusses the brand's survival during the pandemic and support for franchise owners. The brand has over 75 locations across the United States.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2021-01-28. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/the-smart-franchisee-want-fries-with-that-an-interview-with-mooyah-burgers-fries-shakes-president-tony-darden-2714863).*

## Story

While speaking with Jessica Dhillion from The Smart Franchisee Podcast, MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes President Tony Darden discusses how MOOYAH was able to survive the pandemic and successfully support their Franchise Owners. The better-burger concept, founded in Plano, Texas in 2007, is heavily focused on the success of Franchise Owners and provides exceptional support in helping Franchise Owners monitor and readjust their business models based on the current business climate. When it comes to bringing on new Franchise Owners, Darden emphasizes that MOOYAH Burger, Fries & Shakes looks for people who have an entrepreneurial spirit and growth mindset.

“The success of the business depends on the performance of our Franchise Owners, and to back that up that even further, the success of that depends on selecting and partnering with the right folks, people that have a like-minded vision for what it is they would like to do. I’m not saying that they have to have a lot of restaurant experience, but that they have a like-minded vision.”

Darden also touches on how the success of MOOYAH throughout the years, and specifically during the pandemic, is a testament to the Franchise Owners’ involvement in their communities. “When a community backs a business, it can survive anything,” Darden said to Dhillion. He describes the Franchise Owners as the lifeblood of the organization. MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes has over 75 locations across the United States.

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- franchise support (topic)
- MOOYAH (company)
- pandemic survival (topic)
- franchise owner selection (topic)

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Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/the-smart-franchisee-want-fries-with-that-an-interview-with-mooyah-burgers-fries-shakes-president-tony-darden-2714863). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/331e3b06-d90b-4e63-a867-157d3d138672).