Moe's Southwest Grill

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Moe's Southwest Grill
Type Private (franchise)
Founded 2000
Headquarters Atlanta, GA, USA
Industry Dining
Products Tex-Mex cuisine
Parent FOCUS Brands [1]
Website http://www.moes.com/

Moe's Southwest Grill is an American chain of "fast casual" Fresh Mex restaurants originally franchised by Raving Brands in the style of Tex-Mex or Fresh Mex. The restaurant is characterized by warm colors, music from the 1950s to the 1980s, freshly prepared food, and menu items named for celebrities or pop-culture references. Patrons are sometimes greeted by employees shouting "Welcome to Moe's!" when they enter. Moe's started with 2 locations in 2001. Currently, there are over 380 locations in operation in 35 states with many more franchise deals signed and awaiting construction. The implied character named "Moe" is entirely fictitious and is rumored as an acronym for "Musicians, Outlaws, and Entertainers."

On April 11, 2007, Raving Brands sold Moe's to FOCUS Brands, franchiser of Carvel, Cinnabon, Seattle's Best Coffee, and Schlotzsky's. [1]

Contents

[edit] Menu

The following menu is taken from the corporate website, http://www.moes.com, and is visible in all Moe's franchise locations.

In fall of 2007, some of the original menu item names were changed due to copyright issues. These changes have been noted where applicable.

[edit] Burritos

  • Homewrecker - From MTV show (hosted by Jackass)
    • Rice, Beans, Meat, Cheese, Pico de Gallo, Lettuce, Sour Cream, Guacamole
  • Joey Bag of Donuts - From My Cousin Vinny
    • Rice, Beans, Meat, Cheese, Pico de Gallo
  • Triple Lindy - From Back to School
    • Rice, Beans, Meat, Cheese, Pico de Gallo, Sour Cream or Guacamole
  • Art Vandalay - From Seinfeld
    • Rice, Beans, Cheese, Pico de Gallo, Lettuce, Sour Cream, Guacamole
  • Chicken Club Burrito (Limited time only. Debuted May 5, 2007 as the Chicken Club Quesadilla, but was brought back in 2008 due to high popularity and is now advertised along with, but sold separately from, the Chicken Club Quesadilla. Both come standard with Chicken, cheese, lettuce, diced tomatoes, bacon bits and Chipotle Ranch Dressing. The burrito also come with rice and choice of beans.)
  • Fajita Burrito - Limited time menu item during Winter 2007/08.
    • Rice, Beans, Meat, Queso, Sauteed Veggies, Pico de Gallo

[edit] Quesadillas

  • John Coctostan - From Fletch
    • Cheese, Meat, Beans, Side of Pico de Gallo and Sour Cream
  • Super Kingpin (formerly called Sherman Klump - From The Nutty Professor)
    • Cheese, Side of Pico de Gallo and Sour Cream
  • Instant Friend (formerly called I Said Posse - From a dirty joke told by Slim Pickens in Blazing Saddles)
    • Cheese, Beans, Sautéed Veggies, Side of Pico de Gallo and Sour Cream
  • Chicken Club Quesadilla (Debuted May 5, 2007 as a limited time item and lasted through June, but was brought back in 2008 due to high popularity and is now advertised along with, but sold separately from, the Chicken Club Burrito. Both come standard with Chicken, cheese, lettuce, diced tomatoes, bacon bits and Chipotle Ranch Dressing. The burrito also come with rice and choice of beans.)

[edit] Tacos

  • Funk Meister (formerly called Full Monty - From the movie of the same name)
    • Beans, Meat, Cheese, Pico de Gallo, Lettuce
  • Overachiever (formerly called Other Lewinsky - Referring to Elizabeth Gracen)
    • Beans, Meat, Cheese, Pico de Gallo, Lettuce, Sour Cream, Guacamole
  • Unanimous Decision (formerly called Ugly Naked Guy - From Friends)
    • Beans, Cheese, Pico de Gallo, Lettuce, Sour Cream, Guacamole

[edit] Fajitas

  • Alfredo Garcia - From the 1974 film by Sam Peckinpah, Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia, also a reference from Fletch
    • 2 Scoops of Meat, Sautéed Veggies, Cheese, Pico de Gallo, Lettuce, 3 steamed shells
  • Fat Sam - character from Fletch, played by George Wendt.
    • 2 Scoops of Meat, Sautéed Veggies, Cheese, Pico de Gallo, Lettuce, Sour Cream, Guacamole, 3 steamed shells

[edit] Nachos

  • Billy Barou - From Caddyshack
    • Meat, Beans, 6 oz Queso, Pico de Gallo, Black Olives, Pickled Jalapenos
  • Ruprict - From Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
    • Beans, 6 oz Queso, Pico de Gallo, Black Olives, Pickled Jalapenos

[edit] Salads

  • Personal Trainer (formerly called Pinky Tuscadero - From Happy Days)
    • Shredded Lettuce, Beans, Cheese, Pico de Gallo, Cucumbers, Black Olives, Choice of Dressing
  • Close Talker - From Seinfeld
    • Shredded Lettuce, Meat, Beans, Cheese, Pico de Gallo, Cucumbers, Black Olives, Choice of Dressing
  • Southwestern Cobb Salad (Available May 6 - June 30, 2008[2])
    • Romaine Lettuce, Meat, Cheese, Pico de Gallo, Cucumbers, Black Olives, Cilantro, Bacon, Mango

[edit] Kid's meals

  • Moo Moo Mr. Cow (burrito)
    • Rice, Meat, Beans, Cheese, Salsa
  • Power Wagon (formerly called Puff the Magic Dragon (taco) - From the song or movie of the same name)
    • Meat, Cheese, Lettuce
  • Mini Masterpiece (formerly called Mini-Me - (quesadilla) From Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me)
    • Cheese, Side of Sour Cream

Each kid's meal comes with a cookie and a small fountain drink.

[edit] Soup

  • Baja Chicken Enchilada Soup (Not available at all locations)
    • Chicken, Black Beans, Corn, Zucchini, Tomatoes, Onions, Chilies, red and green peppers in a spicy broth

[edit] Other Meal Choices

To order, patrons of Moe's start at one end of a long counter, and tell the person preparing their meal what they want on it as they go along.

Choices:

[edit] Tortilla Chips

All items except for fajitas and salads are served with a side of fresh tortilla chips. Natural (undyed) tortilla chips replaced the prior tri-color chips in 2006 due to the elimination of artificial red and blue dyes, presumably part of the movement for more "natural" food products. Free refills are offered on chips.

[edit] Queso Dip

Another popular side item is the queso dip. It consists of melted white American cheese, heavy cream, and jalapeño peppers. Like most other side items it can be ordered in three sizes: side (2 ounce), cup (6 ounce), and bowl (12 ounce). Each order of queso comes with tortilla chips for dipping.

In May of 2008, the provider of Moe's Queso was changed due to the previous distributor going out of business. A new Queso developer is providing the dip and it is being distributed to all locations.

[edit] Salsa and Sauces

Salsa and sauces are available at a self-serve area. They include:

  • Moe's Rock and Roll (medium sauce)
  • Moe's Hard Rock (hot sauce)
  • Who Is Kaiser Salsa? (a standard, medium salsa) - From The Usual Suspects
  • Tomatilla Sauce (mild)
  • El Guapo's IN-Famous Salsa (a thinner, hotter chipotle salsa) - From ¡Three Amigos! (Not available at all locations)

[edit] Other Side Items

Meat, sauteed vegetables, beans, and rice can be ordered in cup and bowl sizes as side items. Guacamole, sour cream, and pico de gallo can be ordered in side, cup, or bowl sizes.

[edit] Beverages

[edit] Non-Alcoholic Beverages

  • Coca-Cola fountain beverages
  • Iced tea (sweetened and unsweetened)
  • Bottled water
  • Mineral Water

[edit] Alcoholic Beverages

  • Various beers, both domestic and imported
  • Margaritas, by the glass or pitcher
    • Blabbermouth Soup (lime flavored)
    • Village Idiot (strawberry flavored)

Fun Bobby (Friends) is the name for a pitcher of margaritas

(Availability of Alcoholic beverages depends on the individual stores purchasing licenses to sell them)

[edit] Atmosphere

[edit] The music

According to the official website [4], "Moe wanted to pay tribute to his heroes who have passed on and would never have a chance to taste his food." (Bearing in mind that "Moe" does not exist.) Because of that, most of the music played at the restaurants either is that of a group with a deceased member, or a solo artist who passed on (e.g., The Beatles, Elvis, Marvin Gaye, Jackie Wilson, Queen, Grateful Dead). Most of the rest of a typical Moe's ambient music playlist is made up of rock, jazz, and disco hits from the 1940s to the 1990s (eg. "Take Your Time (Do It Right)" by The SOS Band, "Don't Leave Me This Way" by Thelma Houston).

[edit] The Walls

Up until sometime in 2005, all of the wall hangings were paintings of dead rock stars depicting many of the same artists that patrons can hear playing over the music system. Several of the artists' estates objected to the display of these paintings without proper permission. The paintings were all replaced with ones of various menu items such as nachos, burritos, and quesadillas accompanied by sarcastic sayings across the border like "If you don't have fun saying guacamole, then you're probably pronouncing it wrong." and "Eat hard tacos while you still have teeth." The paintings contain a signature of "Al Greene".

[edit] Catering

From hot fajita bars and boxed burritos to fresh taco salads, you can expect all the help you need to get your party rolling. Your friendly neighborhood Moe’s catering team will work within your budget to help you bring something totally different to the table, from set up to the last bite. Contact your neighborhood Moe's for more information.[5]

[edit] Their Website

[edit] MiniMoe's

Their website has many options including a section called "MiniMoe's" - a kid's type account where you sign up and get free kid meals on your birthday (you can also sign up for a free "birthday burrito" as an adult by signing up on a link from the main page) and also has many games, a coloring sheet link, and other options.

[edit] Moe's Gear

The site also has a link for purchasing "Moe's Gear" which has an assortment of t-shirts, hats, beanies, and other things all with sayings with their logo on it like "I (HEART) Burritos".

[edit] External links

  1. ^ FOCUS Brands Corporate
  2. ^ http://www.moes.com/news_static_upload/Southwestern_Cobb_wire_release.pdf
  3. ^ http://www.moes.com/news_static_upload/Southwestern_Cobb_wire_release.pdf
  4. ^ Moe's Official Web Site
  5. ^ http://www.moes.com/catering.aspx