Franchising

Pokemoto opens 4 locations in Northern Virginia

Provided

September 16, 2021

Pokemoto, an expanding Hawaiian poke bowl concept and subsidiary of Muscle Maker, is the food and meal provider at four locations, along with two coffee shops, on campuses at Northern Virginia Community College, according to a press release.

The NightHawk Cafés will offer various grab and go menu items, coffee, breakfast, a snack on the run, or dine-in options with a poke bowl, burrito, or salad.

The four Pokemoto NOVA locations at Alexandria, Loudoun, Manassas and Woodbridge will continue Muscle Maker's non-traditional growth strategy and key demographic of the Millennial and Gen-Z crowds while increasing the Pokemoto brands overall footprint by 29%.

Each of the four locations will offer contactless, self-ordering kiosks and app-based online ordering through Snackpass for safety, efficiency and convenience. Guests can sign up for Pokemoto Text Rewards to receive discounts, offers and news about new menu items from Pokemoto.

Located near Washington, D.C., NOVA is the largest public educational institution in Virginia and the second-largest community college in the U.S., comprised of more than 75,000 students and 2,600 faculty and staff members.

"Muscle Maker, Inc. acquired Pokemoto a little over three months ago and we've already put five new locations on the map; four of which are non-traditional locations right on NOVA college campuses, keeping in line with our core demographic of Millennials and Gen-Zs," Mike Roper, Muscle Maker CEO, said in the release. "Our team is always identifying and visiting store-front and non-traditional locations throughout the northeast and will be announcing new locations when commitments are made. The Pokemoto brand is in expansion mode and looking for partners interested in opening a unique new franchise that boasts low cost of entry, ease of operations and most importantly, delicious, cravable food. The bright social media primed cuisine and chill Hawaiian vibe speak for themselves. Poke is trending in popularity and we're interested in partnering with real estate gurus and like-minded franchise partners to grow our footprint. We're thrilled to add NOVA to our list of colleges and universities and look forward to expanding the non-traditional segment of the brand."

Pokemoto has 18 locations in five states: Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Virginia and Georgia. Muscle Maker Grill was founded in 1995 in Colonia, New Jersey.