Moe's Southwest Grill is opening its first traditional restaurant in the Twin Cities area, a 2,605-square-foot storefront at 6671 Valley Creek Road in Woodbury that welcomes its first customers on September 4. The grand opening celebration kicks off at 10:30 a.m. that day, and the first 50 guests through the door will receive free burritos for a year.
The Atlanta-based fast-casual chain has served travelers passing through Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport for years, but the Woodbury restaurant marks its first standalone brick-and-mortar presence in the region, according to a release carried by Morningstar. Moe's has maintained a food-court counter inside Terminal 1 since November 2019, when the chain first entered the Minnesota market as one of several concessions added to the airport, as DutyFreeHunter reported at the time. Airport concession counters like that one are typically run by third-party hospitality operators rather than local franchise owners, which is part of why Woodbury counts as the brand's true ground-floor debut in the market.
The Woodbury store is owned and operated by Satnam Dhillon, a Twin Cities resident who discovered Moe's while traveling for work, per the same release. Dhillon pursued restaurant entrepreneurship after a career helping global companies solve business and supply chain challenges, and said lasting success comes from consistently delivering a great customer experience.
What's on the Menu, and What the Grand Opening Includes
Moe's built its identity on made-to-order Southwestern food, with a menu of customizable burritos, bowls, stacks, tacos, quesadillas and nachos. Every order at the chain comes with complimentary chips and salsa, and select locations also offer catering. The restaurant model supports dine-in, takeout, third-party delivery, catering and digital ordering.
Beyond the free-burrito giveaway for the first 50 guests, the Woodbury grand opening will feature a prize wheel loaded with merchandise, free menu items, kids' meals and other surprises throughout the day. The yearlong burrito reward requires signing up for a free Moe Rewards account, and it works out to one burrito per week for 52 consecutive weeks. Each weekly reward expires seven days after it lands in a rewards account, and the perk excludes add-ons, extras, taxes, fees, Moe Protein and kids menu items. It also can't be combined with any other offer, reward or third-party delivery order, and is redeemable at participating locations only.
A Corporate Push Beyond One Suburb
Dhillon isn't stopping at Woodbury. He plans to continue introducing Moe's to Twin Cities residents, with a second east metro location already planned for Apple Valley, according to the release. According to Discover Woodbury, MN, the franchisee is also evaluating Cottage Grove and Inver Grove Heights as potential future sites, part of a broader plan to build brand awareness across the east metro suburban corridor. The Woodbury restaurant shares its building with a co-branded Dunkin' and Baskin-Robbins location and seats 42 guests inside, the outlet notes.
Woodbury has become something of a magnet for new-to-market chains lately — Hoodline previously reported that Cooper's Hawk is eyeing Woodbury for its own Minnesota debut, while Apple Valley's forthcoming Picklehall venue recently named four food vendors ahead of its own fall opening.
Corporate Growth and Industry Headwinds
Moe's Southwest Grill was founded in Atlanta on December 9, 2000, with its name originally conceived as an acronym for “Musicians, Outlaws and Entertainers,” according to Wikipedia. As of June 28, 2026, the chain operated more than 540 locations across 35 states and two countries and territories, per the release.
Parent company GoTo Foods, formerly known as Focus Brands, officially rebranded in February 2024 to reposition itself as a platform company focused on multi-unit franchisee growth, according to a statement carried by PR Newswire. The company now oversees more than 6,700 global locations across seven brands including Moe's, Auntie Anne's, Carvel, Cinnabon, Jamba, McAlister's Deli and Schlotzsky's, per S&P Global Ratings. Tatiana Lambert, Chief Development Officer at GoTo Foods, said the Twin Cities area is a dynamic, growing market with an appreciation for quality, customizable dining experiences, adding that the Woodbury opening reflects continued demand for fresh flavors, convenience and hospitality-driven brands.
GoTo Foods has also been pushing the brand internationally, launching “Moe's Casa Mexicana” in July 2025 alongside a 45-unit master franchise deal in India. The company named Mike Smith, who previously oversaw operational strategy across more than 600 restaurants, as Moe's Chief Brand Officer in 2024. Opening a traditional Moe's franchise requires a minimum net worth of $1 million, liquid capital of at least $300,000, and an initial investment ranging from $644,000 to $1.4 million, according to GoTo Foods' own franchise disclosures.
That expansion push comes as the fast-casual Mexican sector heats up nationally — the North American market is projected to reach $61 billion by 2032, growing at an annual rate of 9.7% as diners gravitate toward customizable, open-kitchen concepts, per Metastat Insights. But growth hasn't been uniform across the Moe's franchise system. Hoodline reported this month that a Florida Moe's operator filed for Chapter 11 and shrank to 22 stores, even as the brand also opened its first Washington location inside JBLM's gates earlier this month — a reminder that expansion and franchisee financial health don't always move in lockstep, even within the same brand.
