Pokemoto, Muscle Maker, Inc.’s expanding Hawaiian poke bowl restaurant concept, today announced the grand opening of its first Mississippi franchise location in Oxford, Mississippi. The opening marks the first of three previously inked franchise deals in the Mississippi market. Being near “Ole Miss” provides exposure to Pokemoto’s core targeted audience – Millennials and Gen Zs. The location features Pokemoto’s brand new interior graphic design package, signage and menu items.
“We are very excited to be opening our first Pokemoto location in Mississippi, especially in Oxford – the home of the University of Mississippi. This opening marks one of our first franchise locations to move through the entire “sales, training, opening” cycle since we acquired Pokemoto. While it’s great to sell a franchise, it is even more important to get them open” says Michael Roper, CEO. “Our current strategy focuses on the expansion of Pokemoto through both corporate and franchise locations. Oxford Mississippi is a franchise location with a strong franchise partner who has many ties to the local community – which we believe is a great combination. I look forward to this week’s celebratory events and beyond.”
Charlie Dyer, the Oxford Pokemoto franchisee comments “Providing vibrant, flavorful dishes with a Korean flair, Pokémoto’s colorful, whole-foods approach is customizable for each of our guests.” Dyer continued “Whether a customer is calorie-counting, keto-conscious, vegan or prefers the taste of fresh superfoods, Pokémoto creates healthy, nutritious meals, featuring exciting texture and flavor profiles and I’m excited to serve the great community of Oxford.”
Roper continues, “Our Mississippi opening is just the start to what we believe will be a very busy second half of 2022. We have open or coming soon Pokemoto eateries in 13 states, 43 franchise agreements sold to date and 10 locations currently under construction. We continue to expand our sales efforts by adding two new franchise sales managers to our team, pursuing military veteran partners with an aggressive discounted initial franchise fee, expanding our social media presence and working on new ways to communicate with potential franchise owners out there while adding new states where we can sell franchises – we are open for business!”
Pokemoto’s strategy focuses on growth through both company owned and franchise locations. Each franchise location sold generates up to $25,000 per agreement when signed as well as an ongoing royalty up to 6% of net sales once opened. Pokemoto franchises offer a low cost of build out, protected territories, little to no cooking, ease of operation and low labor requirements. Poke bowls and boba teas are trending in the restaurant industry space, millennial and Gen Z driven, customizable and totally “Instagramable.” Pokemoto’s goal is to become a significant player in the poke segment of the restaurant industry.
