Moe's Southwest Grill is changing the focus of its franchise exapnsion through an agreement with Sodexo Inc. to target Sodexo-operated locations in education, government, healthcare and corporate settings.
The Sodexo announcement is part of a plan that will triple that amount of Moe's locations in the next five years.
"It's a testament to the strength of the Moe's concept that a major player in the non-traditional space has committed to growing with us," said Paul Damico, president of Moe's Southwest Grill. "I expect brand awareness will reach new heights as these high-traffic venues bring our delicious Southwest fare and unique brand culture to a large audience over a short period of time."
The first restaurant under this agreement is now operating at Loyola College in Baltimore, Md. Within the next six to eight months, Moe's Southwest Grill also will open restaurants at Valdosta State University, Troy University and other Sodexo-operated locations.
In addition to these non-traditional venue agreements, plans call for Moe's Southwest Grill to open 50 new restaurants throughout 2010. In the first quarter alone, the company has reported it has sold more franchise deals than all of 2009 combined.
