Tareq Qarman opens the nation’s largest MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes and the second Orlando location to open this year
MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes, a fast casual, “better burger” chain, is opening its third restaurant in Orlando on Monday, September 14th with Franchise Owner Tareq Qarman. The new location is opening at 8050 International Dr. and will be the brand’s largest location to date, with a 4,100 square foot restaurant ready to serve hungry Guests after a long day at some of the nation’s most visited and beloved theme parks.
Qarman has lived in Orlando since his parents moved from Palestine in 1993. After graduating high school, he started working at Golden Corral, spending 16 years with the company learning the ins and outs of the restaurant business before gaining the confidence to step out on his own. He opened the first of his six Ben & Jerry’s locations at the Hollywood Plaza in 2010, and now, in that same plaza, he’s opening his first MOOYAH Burgers, Fries and Shakes.
Approximately three years ago, Qarman decided it was time to branch out from dessert in order to maximize his 16 years of foodservice experience. “I first discovered MOOYAH on Instagram. When I got a chance to taste the brand’s ‘better burgers,’ I thought it was amazing. I loved the customizable concept, and as an ice cream guy, I was really impressed with the milkshakes. They use real ice cream, not just sugar and milk. They care about creating a quality product. That’s what sold me.”
This restaurant is one of eight MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes locations opening this year featuring the new design, in addition to four restaurants that will be remodeled to showcase the updated prototype by the end of the year. The location includes dining room seating zones created to accommodate community dining, dedicated third-party delivery and pickup shelving, digital menu boards and an overall more modern vibe. The redesign, which includes a refreshed logo, was created in collaboration with Madrid-based design company Livit – a team of architects, designers and developers who describe themselves as “global experts in Guest experience and design.”
With the ability to hold up to 134 customers at a time, Qarmen’s new location complies with the COVID-19 safety regulations implemented by both the state and MOOYAH Burgers, Fries and Shakes. Qarman will offer socially-distanced indoor and outdoor seating, a contactless third-party delivery and to-go station and require all employees to wear masks, among heightened cleaning and sanitation practices.
Currently, there are two locations in Orlando. The first opened in the Oviedo Mall in the fall of 2018 and the second opened in March 2020 in the SoDo neighborhood. The growing franchise brand is actively looking to partner with additional Franchise Owners to bring an additional fifteen locations to the greater Orlando area, creating a total of more than 350 jobs across the area.
“As Tareq opens his first MOOYAH restaurant, we are looking forward to expanding our presence across Orlando with him,” said MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes President Tony Darden. “Orlando residents are starting to crave our quality menu, and now, even more visitors will gain additional access to our ‘better burgers’ and superior customer service. With Orlando being a top tourist destination in the U.S., we are hopeful that even more Guests will fall in love with our brand and want to become Franchise Owners in their hometowns, helping expand the MOOYAH footprint across America.”
At MOOYAH, Guests have the advantage of choosing from a variety of bun options, such as baked-in-house artisan potato or multigrain wheat non-GMO buns and hand-crafted lettuce buns called Iceburgers to accompany the never-frozen, 100% Certified Angus Beef burgers, all natural Jennie-O® turkey burgers and Dr. Praeger’s black bean vegan burgers. Each gourmet burger can be customized with five real cheeses, bacon, avocado and 20 free sauces and toppings made from garden-fresh veggies.
MOOYAH’s hand-cut fries come together in a six-step process that takes a total of 24 hours to completely prepare. A delightful combination of constant attention and a little magic help transform U.S. No. 1 Idaho potatoes into perfect, crisp-on-the-outside and fluffy-on-the-inside fries. Guests also have the choice of savory sweet potato fries. Never one to forget dessert, MOOYAH offers 100% real ice cream shakes, allowing Guests to choose from seven flavors of 100% real ice cream shakes, including vanilla, Hershey’s chocolate, Reese’s, Oreo and more.
For more information on the growing brand, be sure to connect with MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes on the Facebook Fan page, and follow MOOYAH on LinkedIn, Twitter @MOOYAHburgers and Instagram @MOOYAHburgers.
For franchising opportunities, please visit franchise.mooyah.com.
