Franchising

Mooyah inks 15-unit deal for Florida

provided

March 1, 2022

Marc Verderame has signed Mooyah Burgers, Fries & Shakes' largest development deal to date. Originally from New York, the restaurant industry veteran will open 15 locations in Palm Beach County over the next 10 years. The first will open at 5030 Champion Blvd., in Boca Raton.

As the son of the owner of multiple New York City pizzerias, Verderame grew up around the restaurant business. After working in construction, he branched out into franchising, eventually becoming a multi-unit franchisee for Golden Corral in Palm Beach County.

"The construction industry was changing, and we always had little restaurants up in New York, but we were looking to relocate to Florida," he said in the release. "We were already in the restaurant business, so we wanted to pursue it more. In 2012, we were the first franchisees to open a store for another big burger chain in South Florida. Wanting to expand our portfolio in the area, we were looking at another brand when we found Mooyah, and it was perfect."

Mike Sebazco, Mooyah EVP of Operations and Development, said Verderame was a great example of a franchise owner who has found success with other restaurant concepts and is now going to create his own Mooyah empire in South Florida.

"He's helping us expand across the Sunshine State, as we have a heightened focus on building restaurants in each open market so that we can reach residents across Florida," he said in the release.