Kennesaw State will open Moe’s Southwest Grill in the James V. Carmichael Student Center for the student body in Spring 2020, replacing the former Burrito Bowl.
KSU Assistant Director of Marketing Melissa McMahon said that University Dining chose Moe’s based on student feedback from recent surveys and from the Sentinel’s Best of KSU roundup for 2018-19, which stated that the restaurant was the most preferred for Tex-Mex cuisine. University Dining will operate the location.
“Burrito Bowl’s popularity with students had waned in recent years and based on feedback from recent surveys, we determined that Moe’s was the best option for that location,” McMahon said. “Burrito Bowl at the Kennesaw Student Center has closed, and [Moe’s] will be replacing it in the future.”
The Southwestern restaurant franchise, informally referred to as Moe’s and founded in Atlanta, was announced to be incorporated into KSU via the sign placed in front of the empty space where Burrito Bowl used to be.
The location was secured by KSU through a franchise agreement with Moe’s, McMahon said.
“University Dining is committed to providing our KSU community with fresh, convenient and diverse menu options at affordable prices, and will evaluate each campus dining location for popularity and sales performance,” McMahon said.
Burrito Bowl opened Fall 2014 and closed at the end of the Spring 2019 semester, KSU Assistant Director of Marketing Kelley Wisniewski said.
When asked if the university was willing to open more restaurants on campus in the near future, McMahon said, “University Dining continually seeks to offer a restaurant mix on-campus that satisfies the ever-changing tastes of students, faculty and staff.”
Moe’s popularity among KSU students reflects a nationwide trend of popularity with the restaurant chain. In 2016 and 2017, the Harris Poll EquiTrend Survey announced that Moe’s was the “Fast Casual Mexican Restaurant of the Year.” Moe’s defeated the previous top restaurant, Chipotle Mexican Grill, despite possessing half the number of restaurants in comparison.
Moe’s, which is an acronym for “Musicians, Outlaws and Entertainers,” is known for its music, colorful themes and artwork within the restaurant and serves a variety of Mexican foods such as buffalo chicken burritos, three amigos tacos, close talker salads and quinoa, according to its website.