Moe’s Southwest Grill announced Tuesday the transfer of 67 franchised locations in Florida, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and District of Columbia to Quality Fresca, a new division of Quality Restaurant Group formed to own and operate a best in class Moe’s Southwest Grill franchisee group.
In partnership with Matt Ailey, Founder of GenRock Capital Management, Matt Slaine, CEO of Quality Restaurant Group and Chris Grooms, Vice President of Quality Fresca, the restaurant group plans to roll out the updated brand design for the restaurants in the next 12-18 months. The series of transactions will make Quality Fresca the largest franchisee in the Moe’s Southwest Grill portfolio.
“We believe there is extraordinary growth ahead for the Moe’s Southwest Grill brand and know that our company will be a significant partner as the brand continues to innovate and secure share in a competitive segment,” says Matt Slaine, CEO of Quality Restaurant Group and GenRock Operating Partner. “Matt and I have been fans of Moe’s for a long time and were attracted to the unique brand personality, culture, leadership, vision for the future and unit-level economics.”
Backed by GenRock Capital Management, Quality Restaurant Group is based in North Carolina, employs more than 7,500 people and is the parent company for Quality Huts and Quality Meats. Quality Huts is one of the largest Pizza Hut operators with nearly 200 units across Illinois, Indiana, Maryland and Pennsylvania. Quality Meats is an Arby’s operator which recently acquired 27 Arby’s locations in Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, Montana and South Dakota. Quality Fresca is the newest division for Quality Restaurant Group that will operate the Moe’s Southwest Grill locations added to their portfolio of restaurant brands.
“The Moe’s Southwest Grill brand has been a beloved restaurant brand in the fast casual segment for 20 years and the brand is accelerating our journey to modernize both the in-restaurant and off-premise customer experiences,” says Erik Hess, president, Moe’s Southwest Grill. “Working together with the passionate and dedicated group of Moe’s franchisees has enhanced the brand strength and adding new franchisees like Quality Restaurant Group will serve as another advantage for the brand in several of our largest markets.“
Moe’s Southwest Grill currently has more than 700 restaurants in 40 states and is part of the FOCUS Brands family of brands, which includes Auntie Anne’s, Carvel, Cinnabon, Jamba, McAlister’s Deli, and Schlotzsky’s. Quality Restaurant Group and all franchisees within the Moe’s Southwest Grill system have the ability to use shared services at FOCUS Brands, including marketing, real estate, technology and more, to help them successfully launch and operate their restaurants.
In addition to Quality Restaurant Group, Moe’s Southwest Grill is continuing with its aggressive expansion and is seeking single- and multi-unit operators to join its successful franchise network. Moe’s Southwest Grill is currently targeting new markets across the U.S.
