Mooyah Burgers, Fries & Shakes has closed its Franklin location on West McEwen Drive, posting a sign on the door announcing the shutdown after roughly four years in business next to Whole Foods. The fast-casual burger chain, known for its hand-cut fries and made-to-order patties, still has a busy and growing sister store in nearby Brentwood, where loyal customers can now redeem their rewards and gift cards.
According to Williamson Source, the Franklin store at 1560 W. McEwen Drive opened in 2023 in a space previously occupied by Pei Wei, within the Southside at McEwen strip center. The restaurant served the brand's signature lineup, including never-frozen 100% Certified Angus Beef burgers, all-natural Jennie-O turkey burgers, black bean veggie burgers, all-beef hot dogs, and real ice cream shakes. That menu will now only be available at the Brentwood location at 213 Franklin Road, where Mooyah rewards and gift cards are redeemable going forward.
A Father-Son Franchise Built Two Stores in Middle Tennessee
The Franklin and Brentwood locations were both operated by father-and-son franchise owners Martin and Alfredo Arguello, who launched their first Middle Tennessee Mooyah in Brentwood in May 2020. Alfredo Arguello spent 30 years as a General Electric executive before entering restaurant franchising with his son, a background detailed by the brand's own franchise materials. The Brentwood store sits within Hill Center Brentwood, a 17-acre mixed-use town center at Franklin Road and Maryland Way.
Mooyah Burgers, Fries & Shakes was founded in 2007 in Plano, Texas, by Rich Hicks and Todd Istre, and was later acquired in 2017 by private equity firms Gala Capital Partners and Balmoral Funds LLC. The chain built its identity around a fast-casual “better burger” model. Opening a single Mooyah franchise unit typically requires between $400,000 and $715,000 in investment, including a $35,000 initial franchise fee and a minimum of $300,000 in liquid capital, and the brand currently counts roughly 80 to 90 franchised locations operating across the country.
Burger Competition Piled Up Around McEwen Drive
The Franklin closure comes as the surrounding Cool Springs and McEwen corridors have absorbed a wave of new national burger competitors. California-based In-N-Out Burger opened a restaurant at 1951 Double Double Drive near Berry Farms in February, part of a larger push that also brought the chain's new eastern territory office to Franklin — a location Hoodline covered in its piece on the burger frenzy hitting Berry Farms. That In-N-Out includes a single drive-thru lane with seating for 128 guests indoors and outside.
Just weeks later, Texas-based Whataburger opened a 3,300-square-foot, double-drive-thru restaurant at 3075 Mallory Lane in Franklin's Cool Springs retail strip, less than two miles from the McEwen corridor. Hoodline reported on the crowds that lined up for the new spot, which represented a $1.5 million buildout that added 24-hour service to the local market. The same shopping center that once housed Mooyah has also seen its tenant mix shift, with health-conscious chain Flower Child opening a 3,703-square-foot restaurant there in June 2025, marking its first Tennessee location, according to CityNowNext.
What Comes Next for the McEwen Storefront
It remains unclear whether a new tenant has been lined up for the vacant footprint next to Whole Foods, or whether rising commercial rents and fast-casual saturation in the area played a role in consolidating Mooyah's Middle Tennessee operations into the single Brentwood store. Those questions have not yet been answered publicly. Mooyah's presence elsewhere in the state continues, including a franchise in Knoxville and a Gallatin store that celebrated a grand reopening under new local management, run by multi-unit franchisee Josh Lovett, in December.
The closure also fits into a broader reshaping of Franklin's dining map. A recent analysis found that the city's restaurant scene has split into four distinct corridors — Downtown, The Factory, McEwen Northside/Southside, and the Galleria corridor — as national chains increasingly chase large multi-use developments in Cool Springs and McEwen, a shift Hoodline explored in its report on Franklin's four restaurant rows. For now, Franklin burger fans looking for a Mooyah fix will need to make the short drive to Brentwood.
