Mooyah Burgers & Fries has unveiled a new design at a restaurant that opened on Jan. 16 in Tyler, Texas.
The 25-unit fast-casual burger concept, which added nine units last year, offers more seating options and more subdued, less-localized graphics, and expanded its line of toppings for shakes, said Alan Hixon, president of Dallas-based Mooyah. The new look, which has evolved from a black-white-and-red Holstein-accent original, will be applied to new units and also worked into existing stores.
“We’ve brought in communal seating, color schemes and layouts and configurations,” Hixon said. Square footage and seating remains about the same, he added. “It’s right in the wheelhouse. We shoot for between 2,000 and 2,500 square feet, and this one is just under 2,100. It’s a great size space, and it really works well for us.”
Scott Isabelle, the franchisee pioneering the new look at the Tyler unit with his partner Mark Ott, said the restaurant’s open ceilings make the space seem a bigger than it is, and the six seats at a counter facing the food prep area have been especially popular.
“Kids love to sit there and older guests like to sit there and talk to the people behind the counter while they are making their sandwiches,” he said. “This design creates a lot more interaction with the guests.”
Take a look at the new design; story continues below
Isabelle and his partner plan to open a second Mooyah unit in Denton, Texas, which is home to the University of North Texas and draws a college crowd.
“We’re going to do a soft-seating area where the students can get on the Internet and relax,” he said. “It won’t be just a place to eat but one where they can hang out with TVs.”
In earlier units, the design featured murals that highlighted "Hometown, Home Team" images. But executives said new units will support the community in other ways, including digital signage, in-restaurant radio and fundraising programs.
The company said it will work with existing franchisees to coordinate a retrofitted design option.
Mooyah has also introduced a digital kiosk at its Waco, Texas, unit, and will expand the test to a Frisco, Texas, restaurant within a month.
Alexis A. Barnett, Mooyah’s director of marketing, said the kiosks allow customers to customize their burgers with additions such as avocado and bacon, and have increased check averages above $6.
“The visuals sell,” Barnett said. “That’s easy to understand. I see a juicy hamburger, or shake or add-ons like avocado, bacon … sign me up. I’m in.”
Mooyah opened its first unit in March 2007 in Plano, Texas, and began franchising later that year.
Contact Ron Ruggless at ronald.ruggless@penton.com.
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