EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ—A new Moe’s Southwest Grill franchise is being built-out on Route 18 North and will open in July, according to a district manager.

“We are opening in July,” said Dominique, a woman whose name and phone number is listed on a help wanted sign and banner at the new fast-casual Mexican restaurant currently under construction.

The business is seeking managers, shift leaders, crew members, cashiers, a [back of house] “prep” worker, and a catering manager, according to the signs.

“The East Brunswick [Moe’s] is scheduled for a late summer opening. We don’t have specific information on the number of employees as the location is still in development,” said Aliya Nealy, a public relations staffer at FOCUS Brands. 

FOCUS also owns the Carvel, Cinnabon, McAlister’s Deli, and Schlotzsky brands.

The location is owned by multi-unit franchisee, Noriaz Khan, who also owns the Moe’s units in Piscataway, North Brunswick, Englishtown, Saddle Brook, and Linden, according to Nealy.

In North Brunswick, the Moe’s is located in the Commerce Center on Route 1 South, which is anchored by a BJ’s Wholesale Club.

Reached by phone, Dominique said she was in a meeting, and declined to answer roughly how many employees the restaurant expects to hire.

“We are not interested in any of that,” she said. “If we feel like sitting down and having a [newspaper] report we can definitely do that.”

Moe’s earned the designation “Fast Casual Mexican Restaurant of the Year” by Harris Poll, and the franchisor says it “experienced a strong year of [earnings] results,” last year, while the company grossed more than $688 million in “system-wide sales,” according to a June 2 news release. 

“This is a thrilling year to be a part of the Moe’s team,” said Bruce Schroder, President of Moe’s, in the release.

“Our rock star franchise owners are not only a great fit for Moe’s culture, but also provide promising growth potential as we commit to bringing our bold Southwestern flavors & welcoming environment that rocks to new markets.”

The franchisor says it opened 66 new Moe’s locations nationwide last year, but will focus on opening new locations in the Eastern half of the US this year, while looking for franchise owners who, like Khan is doing in the Garden State, will grow multiple Moe’s restaurants, rather than just one unit. There are 21 Moe’s in NJ that are already open. 

“Moe’s currently operates … nearly 700 franchised locations in the US, across 39 states,” added the release.

“The company has experienced strong demand attracting a number of franchise inquiries in recent years due to its quality leadership, healthy franchise system, impressive sales-to-investment ratio, and exceptional company performance.”

Business Reporter at New Brunswick Today | dschatz@nb.today

Dave is an award-winning business reporter who has authored over 200 articles for New Brunswick Today.

Dave is an award-winning business reporter who has authored over 200 articles for New Brunswick Today.