Mooyah

When Denney Barrow and his sons Josh and Jordan were looking for a career change from the real estate development industry, owning a restaurant seemed more like an escape than a return to the grind. So, in 2008 their only question was, which franchise?

“Our father found Mooyah online,” Jordan Barrow said. “At first we thought the name was silly, but then we went to eat there and we were sold.”

A moment after passing through the doors of Mooyah, there are things you can’t help but notice. Things like the Barrow family soaked up on its first visit – the smell of breaking bread, the fresh vegetables in hanging baskets over the make line, the six-inch tall burgers – it’s all very appealing. So, after training in Knoxville, the Barrows opened the first Mooyah in Alabama in the Colonnade at the end of November 2012.

The business’ focus is on burgers, fries and milkshakes, each made-toorder with fresh, authentic ingredients. The entire experience is tailored to the individual through a customizable menu. Pick your burger, choose your bread, name your toppings and select your side. Neither the vegetables nor the beef are ever frozen, the fries are hand-cut, the bread is baked fresh daily, the hot dogs are Hebrew National and the milkshakes are made with real Mayfield Ice Cream.

Mooyah’s beef burgers are offered in quarter- and three-quarter-pound patties, but it also has a turkey burger and a veggie burger. The Barrows said they even offer gluten and carbohydrate-free options for customers on restricting or weight-loss diets.

“The food speaks for itself,” Jordan Barrow said. “When we execute our product to our standards, nobody can beat us. There’s no doubt.”

For the Barrows, their restaurant is much more than a place to eat. They said they hired employees with character and charisma to build a fun atmosphere, selected the perfect site for the model and bent over backward to make each customer feel like a guest in their home.

“Don’t get me wrong, our food is special,” Josh Barrow said. “But what sets us apart and what attracted us to this brand is what you experience when you’re in what we call ‘the four walls.’ And that is, as soon as you walk in the door someone comes up to you and looks you in the eye with a big smile. They ask, ‘Is this your first time at Mooyah?’ And if so, they explain the menu and really make you feel like a guest.”

With the “four walls” philosophy being so big for the Barrows, they said they wanted to make sure they went above and beyond with their flagship store. That meant they had to wait eight months for the ideal location to open up.

Josh Barrow said the family knew they wanted to be in the Colonnade, and they knew Schaffer Eye Center had plans to relocate. A restaurant on the corner in a building with 22-foot ceilings and walls of windows seemed like just the place to build Mooyah’s family-friendly atmosphere.

The Barrows installed five TVs in the space and fill the rest of the room with pop music. There’s a wall covered by a chalkboard where children are encouraged to get creative, and when warmer weather comes around, the Barrows expect fierce competition for Mooyah’s outside seating.

So, if you’re into watching the game while enjoying a beef-based masterpiece, perhaps one on white bread that’s piled high with avocado, A-1 and pepper jack, Mooyah can make that happen. But if you’d rather soak up the sun on a lunch date with a 200-calorie turkey burger on iceberg lettuce, it can do that as well.

“There are other burger places out there, but we felt like they catered to men in general,” Josh said. “Here, there’s always something for everyone.”