The Fast-Casual, “Better Burger” Times Square Location at 485 7th Avenue Will Launch Franchise Brand Awareness for Millions of Guests and Passersby
MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes, the leading fast-casual, “better burger” restaurant franchise that provides Guests with mouthwatering made-to-order burgers, French fries hand cut from Idaho potatoes and real ice cream shakes, is about to gain serious exposure to new brand fans and potential franchisees with the opening of its Times Square flagship restaurant.
MOOYAH announced that it will open the first-of-its-kind restaurant in Times Square in the heart of the city, at the ground floor of the Moxy Hotel, marking a new era of exposure for the brand that will catapult franchise awareness to a new level.
“In the most iconic city in the world, the MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes Times Square restaurant will showcase our brand on a global stage and inspire countless new loyal Guests who might just want to bring our ridiculicious food to their own hometowns,” said MOOYAH President Tony Darden. “The visibility of the location is truly unbeatable and will create an amazing opportunity to introduce our delicious menu, industry-leading mobile offering and refreshed restaurant design to an unprecedented number of Guests and franchise prospects.”
The new 1,400-square-foot flagship Times Square MOOYAH restaurant will feature the brand’s revamped interior design, which launched in early 2020 and includes state-of-the-art dining areas and seating arrangements, third-party and to-go pick-up areas, a closed-off kitchen, digital menu boards and an eye-popping logo refresh. In addition, the Times Square flagship will appeal to the “city that never sleeps” with extended hours of operation, as well as a beer and wine offering. Guests will be encouraged to use the #MOOYAHNYC hashtag on their social media accounts in order to see their posts displayed on a screen in the restaurant. MOOYAH is looking forward to seeing the Guest reaction through social media interaction and will consider rolling out the initiative systemwide.
“This will undoubtedly be our most innovative restaurant design yet,” said Darden. “At all of our locations, MOOYAH not only uses its own mobile ordering app but has also focused on third-party delivery and catering through our technology partners. From a catering and delivery standpoint, we expect this location to be a major success. Our high-quality, made-to-order food has always set us apart from the competition, but now by adding this world-class design, our valued Guests will truly be getting the best ‘better burger’ experience anywhere.”
The Times Square opening comes at a critical point for the brand, as the company is actively ramping up franchising efforts in new and existing markets across the U.S. MOOYAH plans to open 10 new locations in 2020, all of which will feature the brand’s updated design. Restaurants in Hoover, Alabama, Orlando, Florida and Brentwood, Tennessee were the first to unveil the brand’s new design this year. In addition, the franchise will work with Franchise Owners to remodel five existing locations in 2020, and all existing locations will remodel to the new design by the end of 2024.
“New York City offers the best brand exposure in the world and we are confident that this midtown location will springboard further franchise development not only across the state, but also nationwide,” said Darden. “The franchisees of this Times Square operation, Nick and Art Depole, have very impressive entrepreneurial backgrounds, and we are thrilled to have them as ambassadors for the brand in such a high visibility area.”
Nick and Art Depole were raised in Los Angeles, California. After graduating from the University of Southern California, Art started a successful sneaker resale company in the early 2000s, gathering in-depth experience and business acumen along the way. When the brothers decided to transition out of the retail industry and diversify their portfolio, they completed due diligence on a variety of brands before deciding MOOYAH Burger, Fries and Shakes was the best fit to bring to the Big Apple.
“My brother Nick and I have always been huge fans of MOOYAH and frequented the restaurant in Irvine, California,” said Art. “After doing our research of other burger franchises, we were blown away by MOOYAH’s proven business model, strong unit-level economics and streamlined operations. The entire leadership team was incredibly flexible and supported us from day one as we worked out all of the details for this groundbreaking location in New York City.”
Although MOOYAH Burgers, Fries and Shakes already operates in 22 states around the country, Darden and the MOOYAH team are confident that the Times Square location will take the brand to the next level in terms of visibility and growth.
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.
