How Mooyah Burgers is building a locally owned, yet nationally loved burger empire
Claiming to offer the best burger in America, Mooyah Burgers, Fries & Shakes (Mooyah) is a leading franchise model with more than 90 locally owned stores in over 20 states. Since its inception in 2007, Mooyah has been committed to providing what it calls the taste trifecta – made-to-order burgers, hand-cut fries, and real ice cream shakes.
Mooyah’s tantalizing menu has something for everyone, especially since 2019 when the company added lifestyle burgers to the menu to offer vegan, paleo, keto, low-calorie, and gluten-free options. From the ‘Burger Hall of ‘DANG!’’® which features Mooyah’s classic favorites to build-your-own hot dogs and eight flavors of milkshake, it’s no wonder Mooyah has taken the US by storm.
“Mooyah started in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in 2007, at around the same time the better burger concept was rising in popularity,” opens Beth Stockmoe, Vice President of Operations. “Everything we do is centered around quality; we prepare our ingredients fresh every day, we bake our buns in-house, and we have a 24-hour fry process for our meat.
“We’re primarily a franchise model with 73 franchise restaurants and two corporate sites, and while we haven’t taken over other businesses using an acquisition strategy, this isn’t off the table. We’ve earned a really strong fan base in our different markets as we’ve opened new stores, and we’re looking to grow both the franchise and corporate side of the business by launching a further nine stores, including two additional corporate restaurants, over the next year or so.
“We’re currently building a drive-through in Rockwall, Texas, and we’ve got another opening in Flint, Michigan,” Beth continues. “Our new corporate location in Melissa, Texas, is a 1200-square-foot site with a small dining area that will primarily focus on off-premises sales such as guests ordering for collection or using third party delivery platforms. We’re excited about this new store, and by focusing on these sales, we can time food appropriately to deliver the ultimate customer satisfaction.
“We operate three different models: eat-in stores, drive-throughs, and in-line locations,” she adds. “With our support, each franchisee operator can decide which model works best for their region considering factors like predicted volume and cost to build. All our stores look fairly similar with the same interior and design, but our franchise restaurants are locally owned and operated. We also like to paint a mural of the town in which each restaurant is located to add some local flavor to our franchise locations. Some locations even have a local favorite burger, such as in Wisconsin where we offer a Badger Burger.”
Commitment to quality
Alongside this growth, Mooyah has strengthened its internal systems to maintain operational excellence. “We’ve recently implemented our first customer data platform (CDP) to give us a holistic view of our data like customer loyalty, transactions, and online orders,” says Jeff Wilshire, Senior Director of Digital & Performance Marketing. “This wealth of data and customer insight allows us to make informed decisions about things like individual store performance and key menu items.
Jeff continues: “We’ve taken an incremental approach to all things digital and analytics, making gradual changes that have a larger impact on overall customer engagement. From a customer perspective, we’ve optimized our mobile app and strengthened partnerships with delivery parties like Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Grubhub. After making improvements to our loyalty scheme, like adding robust promotions, offers, and challenges, we proudly won a ‘best loyalty app’ franchise award and we’ve seen a significant increase in membership.”
Dedicated to providing consistently delicious products, quality is at the heart of everything Mooyah does. “Burgers are a popular genre, so with several concepts and brands already on the market, we know we have to stand out,” Beth explains. “We use the best certified Angus beef and our freshly made buns, with a soft texture and delicious taste, transform the way our burger is eaten. We’re fanatical about fries, and our aim is for customers to try Mooyah’s fries and never want to go anywhere else.
“Our fantastic supply chain team ensures our commitment to quality is possible on a daily basis,” she shares. “The team maintain excellent longstanding
relationships with suppliers, such as Idaho Potatoes, with whom we work exclusively for our potato supply. We’ve got some staple offerings on the menu that we simply cannot run out of, and the team are phenomenal in ensuring that our proprietary products are in stock at all locations at any given time.”
Mooyah clearly isn’t afraid of trying something different, and its recent collaboration with global family entertainment sensation, Dude Perfect, is testament to this. “We launched the Dude ‘Perfect Pack’ in collaboration with Dude Perfect to offer an unforgettable meal experience,” Jeff says. “The meal pack includes four fully customizable Mooyah cheeseburgers with fixing and toppings on the side, a shareable family-sized portion of hand-cut fries, and two Little MOO shakes, as well as exclusive content from Dude Perfect, all for $39.99. By leveraging Dude Perfect’s unbelievable reach and exposure in the market, this collaboration provides a great opportunity to target a younger audience.”
Fan favorites
As our conversation ends, Beth turns to Mooyah’s approach to creating new products and reveals an exciting return to the menu. “We’re always evaluating our menu and adding new products as limited time offering (LTO) promotions to coordinate with events or occasions,” she says. “For this year’s summer season, for instance, we added a Pina Colada Shake, a cool-down treat offering flavors of creamy coconut and punchy pineapple. Our secret menu, the Burger Hall of ‘DANG!’® includes fan favorites from over the years, and we often bring back other items for a limited time.
“The Campfire Burger is a firm favorite and has gained a cult-like following since we first introduced it. With applewood smoked bacon, grilled onions, melted cheddar cheese, homemade hickory smoke sauce, and then topped with hand cut potato chips, the Campfire Burger has a salty crunch when bitten into, making it a unique option. We pair this with our Smore’s Shake, a toasted marshmallow milkshake with chocolate flakes and graham cracker crumbs, for the perfect nostalgic meal. Although we didn’t bring the Campfire Burger back last year, I’m delighted to reveal that we’re bringing back this duo for Q4 2025.
“In terms of the future, I’d like to see us reach 250 restaurants over the next five years by prioritizing continued growth, focusing on technology and ease of execution, and setting new quality standards,” Beth concludes.