Franchising

Mooyah opening in New York, Virginia, California

Provided

June 9, 2020

Plano, Texas-based Mooyah Burgers, Fries & Shakes is breaking ground in new markets, due in part to agreements finalized with franchise owners, who chose to switch gears and adjust their previous burger restaurant plans to open Mooyahs instead, a company press release said. These owners will bring the concept to New York City and Chesterfield, Virginia, as well as the cities of Upland, Ontario and Claremont in California.

Twin brothers Art and Nick Depole will open the brand's first New York City location near Times Square. When the Depole brothers decided to purchase a burger franchise, they initially signed with another burger franchise and were building out their first location when they decided to open a Mooyah instead. 

"Overall, New York is a very crowded market, and the other burger franchise opportunity didn't work out for several reasons, so we decided to change directions," Art Depole said in the release."We had always been fans of Mooyah and decided to reach out to their team about a potential franchise opportunity. Once we were introduced to their business model and leadership team, we were blown away — the difference between our experience with Mooyah and our experience with the other burger franchise was night and day. The Mooyah team has been so helpful and we are confident that Mooyah's exceptional menu and food will be a great fit for New York City."

The Mooyah leadership team sees a world of opportunity to boost the brand's profile and franchise awareness to tourists and locals in New York.

"Even though Mooyah is in 22 states and has a national presence, being in Manhattan with proximity to Times Square, puts us on stage for many more people to see everything we have to offer," Mooyah President Tony Darden said in the release. "Nick and Art have impressive business acumen and will represent the Mooyah brand well in Manhattan. This location will also be a springboard for further franchise development throughout New York and the rest of the country."

Across the country in California, franchise owners Kit Chui and Hank Lu had also planned to open a different burger franchise. Once realizing the issues that company was facing, however, they began searching for other "better burger" franchise concepts that they could own and operate. They ended their search by signing a deal for three Mooyah territories.

"When exploring different franchise opportunities, we couldn't find anything like the high-quality options Mooyah Burgers, Fries & Shakes has to offer," said Lu. "Mooyah was the standout choice for us based on the experience and quality food that will be perfect in the California communities where we will be developing restaurants."

While other burger brands are dealing with instability, Mooyah is thriving behind a strong and ethics-focused corporate team and more than a decade of proven success, according to the release. Mooyah has also unveiled aprototype that showcases new dining zones and seating arrangements, third-party and to-go shelving, a closed kitchen, digital menu boards and a new logo.

"Over the last year, Mooyah has been laser-focused on making our brand the best it can be," Darden said. "We have honed in on what makes us unique and special in the space. We are always interested in connecting with potential franchise owners who want to have fun, get involved in their communities and own a strong business."

The brand has 100 restaurants either open, under construction or in development in markets across the U.S. and is seeking franchise owners to open in Atlanta, Dallas, Las Vegas and Houston, as well as San Antonio, Texas; Phoenix, Arizona; Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina and Richmond, Virginia.