---
title: "Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier: Mooyah Burgers, Fries & Shakes Is Looking To Open In Iowa"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/645a70e1-86ad-4f4d-9e55-5d19d580d0f4
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/waterloo-cedar-falls-courier-mooyah-burgers-fries-shakes-is-looking-to-open-in-iowa-5804
category: "Burger"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Burger"
topics: ["Development & multi-unit"]
published: 2016-09-12T22:17:00.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T12:20:40.114Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/eacfbfa75142f09fd87318e364c5d6da3827160912155456.jpeg
---

# Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier: Mooyah Burgers, Fries & Shakes Is Looking To Open In Iowa

**TL;DR:** Mooyah Burgers, Fries & Shakes is reducing its upfront franchise fee to $5,000 for new and existing franchisees signing a single-unit agreement for a new location in Iowa. The brand is looking to develop within Iowa, particularly in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, and is seeking the right owner to begin penetrating the market.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2016-09-12. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/waterloo-cedar-falls-courier-mooyah-burgers-fries-shakes-is-looking-to-open-in-iowa-5804).*

## Story

Texas-based franchise concept MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes is aiming to develop within Iowa and is looking at Waterloo-Cedar Falls as a potential focus for one of the state's first locations. Due to the impact the brand traditionally has in its midsize markets, the area screams success for the better burger brand.

“We’re able to penetrate the market with just a couple of restaurants, build name awareness,” VP of Development Ardag Tachian said in an interview with the Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier.

The goal now is to find the right owner to begin penetrating the market. MOOYAH has started fielding calls from potential franchisees for locations not only within Waterloo-Cedar Falls but also Des Moines and Iowa City.

“Folks travel across the country to visit our restaurants and let us know they have an interest in opening in their hometowns,” Tachian said to the Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier. “We’re very active in franchise conferences and shows. We recently had a franchise development booth and the International Franchise Expo in New York, where folks come from all over the world to learn about franchise opportunities.”

MOOYAH traditionally looks for real estate locations that field a lot of traffic day and night, similar to those in shopping centers with Hy-Vee and Walmart, and hires a minimum of 30 employees. The brand welcomes single-unit owners but more often than not, new franchisees sign on to bring multiple locations to the area.

“We are open to having multiple franchise partners; however, in markets where we can open restaurants in (the same) area, most who come to us would want to own multiple units,” Tachian said to the Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier. “They’d say, for example, they’d like to open three to five in the area and, so, would capture the area.”

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- unit expansion (topic)
- MOOYAH (company)
- Walmart (company)
- iowa (location)
- market development (topic)
- franchise fee (topic)
- Ardag Tachian (person)
- Hy-Vee (company)
- Waterloo-Cedar Falls (location)

---
Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/waterloo-cedar-falls-courier-mooyah-burgers-fries-shakes-is-looking-to-open-in-iowa-5804). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/645a70e1-86ad-4f4d-9e55-5d19d580d0f4).