MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes, the “better burger” brand with nearly 90 global locations, has proven to be an industry leader in the fast-casual restaurant space. Today, the brand continues to open new locations across the country, many of which are a result of existing Franchise Owners expanding their portfolio. So far this year, MOOYAH has already expanded with four Franchise Owners, and now, as the world opens back up with widespread COVID-19 vaccine adoption, several other MOOYAH Franchise Owners have big plans for growth.
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Emad Tawfik in Cleveland, Ohio
Ohio-based franchisee Emad Tawfik, for example, opened the state’s first MOOYAH restaurant in 2019 and has since shown no signs of slowing down. Tawfik moved to Cleveland, Ohio from Cairo, Egypt in 1999 to pursue a career in banking. He took a job at Burger King as a general manager to make ends meet — and that job turned into a 20-year career as director of operations, overseeing 40 restaurants in two territories. In 2019, Tawfik decided it was time to start something on his own.
“I was looking to invest in a burger chain specifically, because my experience taught me that is what Americans love most,” said Tawfik. “I looked into several different franchise concepts, but nothing compared to MOOYAH. Over the last 10 years, a lot of customers have changed their eating habits, but whether you are a meat lover, gluten-free or keto — MOOYAH has delicious food for you.”
While Tawfik opened his MOOYAH location just four months before the pandemic hit, he says that the franchise brand’s expert leadership team, support infrastructure an innovative business model have allowed him to thrive while other restaurant concepts struggled.
“We had a great year in terms of sales — the pandemic did not impact us as much as other restaurants and didn’t change our focus on growth,” said Tawfik. “MOOYAH allowed us to really emphasize community outreach and meet our goals to support our Team Members. People right now are looking for quality food at a reasonable price. We provide that offering in a safe environment where everyone can have fun.”
Now, Tawfik says his goal is to dominate his local market and eventually expand into new parts of Ohio and the surrounding states, including an upcoming location in North Olmsted.
Martin and Alfredo Arguello in Brentwood, Tennessee
The father-and-son MOOYAH franchising duo Alfredo and Martin Arguello of Brentwood, Tennessee are also looking to grow. Martin worked in several restaurants growing up and when he decided to open up his own business, he immediately thought of MOOYAH. His father Alfredo had been a senior executive with General Electric for 30 years, running multi-billion-dollar businesses all over the world. Alfredo was in the process of retiring, so when Martin came to him with a plan to develop the MOOYAH brand in Middle Tennessee, the timing was perfect.
“There was a MOOYAH next to my apartment, and it was clear that everything was always made fresh and the menu was really something that I could stand behind,” said Martin. “You can’t say that about every franchise concept.”
Despite opening their doors at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in May 2020, Martin says business has only been getting better since day one. When it comes to what he equates that success to, he points to three things: the Guest experience, Team Member experience and quality product.
“When you nail those three things, it creates a very solid infrastructure for success,” said Martin. “No matter how tough the pandemic made things, there is no compromise to those three pillars. With MOOYAH, it is always about the Guest, Team Member and product.”
Today, Alfredo says that mission has allowed the Brentwood restaurant to see a 40% to 60% increase in year-over-year sales. Looking ahead, the Arguellos have plans for serious growth across Tennessee and even have a lease signed in the Cool Springs area in Franklin for their second location.
“The population of Brentwood is 42,000, and this week we are going to pass 104,000 Guest visits,” said Alfredo. “What that tells us is that we have reached area residents well beyond our local community during the pandemic. That means our original dreams and aspirations are coming true — Middle Tennessee has embraced the MOOYAH concept, and the demand is there. Now, we are opening another location and are projecting that once we have two restaurants open, we will see 250,000 Guest visits per year. That’s 250,000 opportunities to satisfy the Guest.”
MOOYAH’s Bright Future Ahead
As Franchise Owners across the MOOYAH system continue to expand into multi-unit ownership, the brand is quickly becoming one of the most sought-after opportunities in franchising. The franchise has a range of available territories all across the country, many of which are primed to support multiple units. MOOYAH has immediate development plans throughout the states of Ohio, Kentucky, California and Arizona, but also wants to grow in key markets such as Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, Tampa, Atlanta, Raleigh, Nashville, Orlando and Richmond.
“For us, it’s all about finding the right markets with the right target audiences that will take the MOOYAH brand to the next level,” said Mike Sebazco, MOOYAH’s Executive Vice President of Operations & Development. “The support and love that we show to our Franchise Owners and Guests today will set us up for success tomorrow as the MOOYAH name continues to grow and become a true leader in the fast-casual space.”
The investment range to open a MOOYAH is $551,918 to $715,161. Learn more about franchising with MOOYAH at https://franchise.mooyah.com/.
