Franchising is a family business for Verderame, who hopes to one day grow beyond the 15 new MOOYAH locations he’ll be opening over the next decade.
Marc Verderame, MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes’ newest Franchise Owner, has signed the brand’s largest development deal to date. Originally from New York, the restaurant industry veteran is bringing his expertise to the better-burger franchise, opening 15 new locations in Palm Beach County over the next 10 years.
MOOYAH has been riding a wave of expansion and is currently on track to add 45 new locations by the end of 2023 to its 90-unit, fast-casual franchise system. Verderame saw this expansion as a chance to turn his years of experience in franchising into a new opportunity in the Palm Beach area.
As the son of the owner of multiple New York City pizzerias, Verderame grew up around the restaurant business. After working in construction, he branched out into franchising, eventually becoming a multi-unit franchisee for Golden Corral in Palm Beach County. Now, he plans to open the first of 15 new MOOYAH Palm Beach locations in the first quarter of 2022.
“The construction industry was changing, and we always had little restaurants up in New York, but we were looking to relocate to Florida,” he said. “We were already in the restaurant business, so we wanted to pursue it more. In 2012, we were the first franchisees to open a store for another big burger chain in South Florida. Wanting to expand our portfolio in the area, we were looking at another brand when we found MOOYAH, and it was perfect.”
Why make the choice to partner with MOOYAH? For Verderame, it came down to all-around quality – quality food, quality atmosphere, quality time and a top-notch, high-quality corporate team providing support.
“The first time I visited a MOOYAH, everything looked and tasted so fresh,” Verderame said. “It felt like a fun, family environment, and the burgers were really good. The whole crew was great through all our meetings. They have a great training system to get all the coworkers and managers to buy into the brand and do it the right way.”
Of course, the brand’s ongoing success factored into his decision to sign MOOYAH’s biggest development deal yet. In 2020, an otherwise challenging time for the restaurant industry, 18 MOOYAH stores joined the franchise’s Million Dollar Club — a group of restaurants that have brought in at least $1 million in sales.
“Systemwide, MOOYAH grew by 10% during the pandemic, while also finalizing our new drive-thru concept,” said Mike Sebazco MOOYAH Vice President of Operations and Development. “With two drive-thrus projected to open this year, MOOYAH continues to offer more convenience to its loyal and enthusiastic Guests.”
Verderame urged other potential MOOYAH owners to focus on what they believe in when choosing a brand to partner with.
“I’m hoping for more than 15 stores in this county eventually, and I know we’ll grow with MOOYAH and be very successful together,” Verderame said. “There’s a huge population down here to serve, and we look forward to finally introducing MOOYAH to Palm Beach County.”
With locations currently in 22 states from California to Virginia and Montana to Texas, a full pipeline of new locations and a Guest base that’s more loyal than ever, MOOYAH is riding a wave of expansion in 2021. And even with its monumental growth, the brand still has opportunities for exclusivity in some major markets for qualified Franchise Owners. Target markets include Columbus, Houston, Las Vegas, Tampa, Orlando, Phoenix, Raleigh/Durham, Nashville, Atlanta and Richmond.
For more information on MOOYAH, please visit http://www.MOOYAH.com. Connect with MOOYAH on Facebook.com/MOOYAH, follow MOOYAH on LinkedIn, Twitter @MOOYAHburgers and Instagram @MOOYAHburgers, and TikTok @mooyahburgers.
For franchising opportunities, please visit franchise.mooyah.com.
MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes is a fast-casual, “better burger” concept offering mouthwatering made-to-order burgers, French fries hand cut from Idaho potatoes, and real ice cream shakes. Founded in 2007, the Plano, Texas-based company serves fresh, 100% Certified Angus Beef brand burgers, all natural turkey burgers and Dr. Praeger’s black bean vegan burgers. MOOYAH’s non-GMO potato and multigrain buns are baked in-house daily, and Guests can choose from five real cheeses, bacon, avocado and 19 free sauces and toppings made from garden-fresh veggies. MOOYAH Guests can choose from eight flavors of 100% real ice cream shakes, including vanilla, Hershey’s chocolate, Reese’s, Oreo and more. While many Guests dine in-restaurant, MOOYAH also offers online ordering, delivery and carry out for Guests on the go as well as a loyalty app. In 2021, MOOYAH ranked on Entrepreneur Magazine’s Franchise 500 list, #41 on Fast Casual’s Top 100 Movers and Shakers, and its Leadership Team was recognized by the Dallas Business Journal as 2021’s Most Inspiring Leaders. In 2020, MOOYAH ranked #38 on Fast Casual’s Top 100 Movers and Shakers. In 2018, MOOYAH was ranked among Entrepreneur Magazine’s Top 200 Food and Restaurant Franchises of 2018 and landed at #7 in the Top 10 Fast Casual Restaurant Franchises by FranchiseRankings.com. In 2017, MOOYAH was named to Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500 list, Franchise Times’ Fast & Serious list of the smartest growing franchise brands and was ranked #11 on Fast Casual Magazine’s annual Top 100 Movers & Shakers, a list the brand has been included on every year in the last ten years of rankings. For more information on MOOYAH, its menu or franchising opportunities, please visit www.MOOYAH.com. Connect with MOOYAH on Facebook.com/MOOYAH, follow MOOYAH on LinkedIn, Twitter @MOOYAHburgers and Instagram @MOOYAHburgers, and TikTok @mooyahburgers.
