Moe’s Southwest Grill franchisee Jeff Offutt opened the first Springfield location of the restaurant chain today at Battlefield Mall, 2825 S. Glenstone Ave.
Offutt entered the Springfield market in late 2012 with the opening of a
Five Guys Burgers and Fries franchise, which sits next door to the newly opened Moe's.
“Springfield has been very welcoming,” Offutt said, “not just with Moe’s, but with the Five Guys right by us.”
After a March 26 soft opening that served as a fundraising event for Ozarks Food Harvest, the 2,565-square-foot fast-casual restaurant opened its doors to the public, giving the first 100 guests free burritos for a year.
“Giving back to the community is always a priority for me,” Offutt said. The establishment had a $10 all you can eat buffet and donated 100 percent of its proceeds to the food bank.
Offutt said he had an initial investment of $550,000 and paid $30,000 in franchise fees, with 5 percent of net sales going to royalties and a 4 percent marketing fee that goes toward national and local marketing for the Atlanta, Ga.-based franchise.
Moe’s is part of Focus Brands Inc., a franchisor and operator of brand names such as Cinnabon, Schlotzsky's and McAlister’s Deli with over 4,500 locations, according to its website.
Offutt said the restaurant employs 36 and has competitive prices with places like Chipotle and Qdoba.
“We’re going to be coming in with some aggressive price points,” Offutt said, noting on Mondays, Moe’s offers a burrito, chips and salsa meal, with a soda, for $5. Regularly, a chicken burrito, including chips and salsa, is about $6.
This is the second location in Missouri - the first opened in Joplin - and it joins over 500 locations nationwide.
Offutt also owns 45 Subway franchise restaurants and five Five Guys locations in Missouri.[[In-content Ad]]
