December 9, 2000; 25 years ago (2000-12-09) in Garden Hills, Georgia (Atlanta)
Headquarters
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Number of locations
600+ (2024)
Area served
United States
Key people
Tory Bartlett (Chief Brand Officer)
Products
Mexican style cuisine and other Southwestern fare
Parent
GoTo Foods
Website
www.moes.com
Moe's Southwest Grill, referred to informally as Moe's, is an American fast casual restaurant franchise chain that was founded in Atlanta, Georgia, on December 9, 2000,[1] by Raving Brands. The name "Moe's" originated as an acronym for "Musicians, Outlaws and Entertainers", and this theme led to the music-related artwork found in the original design.[2]
Moe's Southwest Grill—together with Schlotzsky's, Carvel, Cinnabon, McAlister's Deli, Jamba and Auntie Anne's brands—is part of the GoTo Foods portfolio of brands.
The restaurant chain originally featured artwork depicting deceased music legends and licensed a special rock soundtrack from Muzak that consisted of music from deceased musicians or bands with a notable deceased musician. After a lawsuit from the estate of Jerry Garcia, depictions of actual people were removed from the decor.[3] The menu, which initially featured puns based on people and popular phrases from music, television, and movies was revamped to remove nearly all phrases that may result in legal issues.[4]
Fare
[edit]
Moe's offers various types of food on its menu, including burritos, tacos, quesadillas, nachos, salads, stacks, burrito bowls, and house-made seasonal salsas. Ingredients can be added or subtracted from the standard entree for customization. Every order comes with chips and salsa on the side.[5]
International locations
[edit]Garden Hills location ("the very first Moe's on earth")
In 2010, Moe's signed a deal to open 40 of its restaurants in Turkey,[6] the first of which opened in 2011.[7]
In September 2012, Moe's opened its first Russian franchise[8] located in the center of Moscow near the Kremlin on Pyatnitskaya Street.[9][10]
Franchise partners also existed in Costa Rica[11] and Jamaica.[12]
References
[edit]
^FOCUS Brands press release, FOCUS Brands to Acquire Moe’s Southwest Grill, April 11, 2007
^"9 Things You Might Not Know About Moe's Southwest Grill". December 27, 2015.
^Grinberg, Emanuella (January 13, 2005). "Jerry Garcia's heirs sue over burrito chain's use of his image". CNN.
^"[EXCLUSIVE] Moe's Southwest Grill Debuts Boring New Look, Higher Prices and Tortas in Sandy Springs". Tomorrow's News Today - Atlanta. October 22, 2018.
^"Moe's Is Hungry for Turkey". qsrmagazine.com. Retrieved February 4, 2026.
^"Leading restaurant franchisor partners with seasoned entrepreneur to Open First of 40 Locations in Turkey". franchising.com. Retrieved February 4, 2026.
^"Сеть ресторанов Moe's". Archived from the original on May 17, 2014. Retrieved May 17, 2014.
^"13 Pyatnitskaya Street". Google Maps.
^Moe’s Southwest Grill to Open 50 Restaurants in Russia. moessouthwestgrill.wordpress.com, Retrieved July 18, 2014
^"With Moe's, finally a real Burrito in Costa Rica". ticotimes.net. November 24, 2012. Retrieved July 18, 2014.
^Moe’s Southwest Grill Opens First Jamaican Location. moessouthwestgrill.wordpress.com, Retrieved July 18, 2014
External links
[edit]
Official website
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t
e
GoTo Foods
Auntie Anne's
Carvel
Cinnabon
Jamba Juice
McAlister's Deli
Moe's Southwest Grill
Schlotzsky's
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t
e
Atlanta companies
Aaron's
AGCO (Duluth)
American Megatrends (Gwinnett County)
Arby's (Sandy Springs)
AT&T Mobility
Atlanta Bread Company (Smyrna)
Atlanta Gas Light
BellSouth
Chick-fil-A (College Park)
Church's Texas Chicken (Sandy Springs)
Coca-Cola
Cox Enterprises
Delta Air Lines
Equifax
Georgia Natural Gas
Georgia-Pacific
Georgia Power
Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn Express
Home Depot (Cobb County)
Hooters
Intercontinental Exchange
Krystal (Dunwoody)
Kool Smiles (Marietta)
Mailchimp
Merial (Duluth)
Moe's Southwest Grill
NCR Voyix
Papa John's
RaceTrac (Cobb County)
Rheem
Scientific Atlanta (Lawrenceville)
Shane's Rib Shack
Simmons Bedding Company
SiteOne Landscape Supply
Southern Company
SunTrust Banks
Turner Broadcasting System
United Parcel Service (Sandy Springs)
The Varsity
Waffle House (Gwinnett County)
The Weather Channel (Cobb County)
Zaxby's (Athens)
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Fast food and fast casual restaurant chains in the United States
