Executives to Know: Rich Hicks, MOOYAH

We’ve all heard of the Golden Rule—that one simple philosophy that preaches to treat others as one would like others to treat oneself. That’s the adage that Rich Hicks, president and CEO of MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes, lives by each day; and he motivates others around him to do the same.

“Our daily philosophy is to treat our employees and franchisees as we treat our guests. If we can do that, that’s a powerful message,” said Hicks.

Aside from being at the helm as CEO, Hicks is also the co-founder and visionary behind the 80-unit franchise fast-casual concept. In 1999, Hicks launched a fast-casual taco joint called Tin Star, which eventually grew from one downtown Dallas spot to a myriad of locations across the country.

Despite (and because of) his success, Hicks wanted to take the experiences he accrued with the Tex-Mex chain and reward America's taste buds by dishing out the best burgers and fries—period. To do just that, he founded MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes with Todd Istre in Plano, Tex., in 2007.

“It all starts at the top,” Hicks said. “There is a lot of power in motivation. We instill in our franchisee a desire to demonstrate hospitality, always have a smile on their face and a general concern for the guest experience. And if we don’t treat our franchisees the same way, then there’s a disconnect. We are hopeful that that message trickles downs into everything we do at MOOYAH.”

Hicks refers to himself as the “Chief Experience Officer” and is always working to ensure that he and his team are doing everything possible to support the franchise system and protect the MOOYAH brand. He is a believer in a culture of transparency and works hard to always do the right thing. He also strives to provide open and honest communication throughout the company.

“We love listening, creating and developing based off of what our employees, Guests and franchisees tell us,” Hicks said. “It makes us stand out above the rest.”