MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes Opens San Antonio Market for Expansion in Its Home State

MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes, the nearly 100-unit better burger concept, is bringing its better burger to San Antonio. Well-established in Dallas and multiple states outside of Texas, the brand is now returning its focus to Texas to capitalize on strong brand awareness and demand in the state.

“We were born in Dallas, and we’ve grown and been very successful in DFW,” explained Doug Willmarth, president of MOOYAH. “But, we have waited to open the San Antonio and Houston markets until the time was right. Now it’s time to leverage the strength, experience and power we have in the state of Texas and build a strong presence in San Antonio.”

The brand’s leadership has identified 12 distinct trade areas in San Antonio, estimating that the initial wave of market development should include between 12 and 15 restaurants.

“San Antonio is the third-largest city in Texas. It just fits the natural progression for us to extend the success of the brand there,” explained Mike Sebazco, executive vice president of operations and development. “It’s a gateway west and south to the rest of Texas. We’re in Austin today, and it is time that we plant our flag in San Antonio.”

There is a strong existing awareness of and demand for the brand in the state of Texas. Willmarth explained that the established operational and distribution presence in the area means that the brand has the infrastructure in place that will allow it to expand quickly and efficiently in San Antonio, capitalizing on the momentum and scale that it have built up.

The pressure had been building as MOOYAH has had a lot of interest in the San Antonio area from franchisees.

“We’ve had many new franchise prospects inquire and some existing franchisees that have asked about large, multi-unit deals, which has influenced our decision to open up San Antonio at this time,” Sebazco added.

As the brand continues to expand, Willmarth explained that opening entire markets at one time will allow MOOYAH to create strong contiguous territories with prime locations for a select group of experienced franchisees who commit to building up the market.

“For new franchisees, it is often the case that there are restaurants already in the market in the best locations, and they have to build around them,” he said. “It is much better if you can create very cohesive territories for a franchisee so they can own part of the market. We're in a great position — because we are just opening the market now — to intentionally carve out territories which make sense for franchisees to build their business.”