Jackson Free Press

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Moe’s Southwest Grill, a fast casual Mexican restaurant chain with more than 600 locations around the United States, will soon be returning to Jackson. Josh Snyder, a franchisee with Moe’s who manages four other locations in South Carolina and Georgia, plans to bring the restaurant to the Maywood Mart Shopping Center by late spring or early summer this year. Snyder also has plans in place to open Moe’s locations in Madison, Ridgeland and Flowood by 2017.

The first Moe’s location opened in Atlanta, Ga., in 2000. It is part of the FOCUS Brands Inc. restaurant group, which also includes Auntie Anne’s Pretzels, Carvel Ice Cream, Cinnabon Bakery, McAlister’s Deli and Schlotzsky’s Deli.

One of Moe’s major draws is the customization of its dining experience, allowing customers to choose from more than 20 different types of ingredients to create their own burritos, tacos, quesadillas, nachos and more. Moe’s menu is also filled with references and homage’s to music, television and cinema culture, featuring items such as “A Taco Called Wanda,” “Joey Bag of Donuts,” “Art Vandalay” and “Billy Barou.” Moe’s is also unique in its choice of music, with playlists consisting solely of songs by departed musicians, whether the music is played over the restaurants sound system or performed live by cover bands.

Snyder leased the site of the Jackson Moe’s location, which once housed Montgomery Ace Hardware Co., from Maywood Mart owner Times Equities Inc. in December 2015. Snyder has been involved with Moe’s for more than 11 years, opening his first location in Lexington, S.C. together with his wife, Lindy Snyder, almost straight out of college in 2005. It proved to be so successful that he opened a second location in his home city of Columbia, S.C. about six months later.

With four locations under his belt so far, Snyder sees Mississippi as the next key to Moe’s future growth.

“Jackson is an exciting and familiar place to me, and I see a lot of similarity between it and Colombia,” Snyder said. “I think the size and market in Jackson are perfect for bringing in a fun new restaurant, and Maywood Mart’s accessibility and proximity to places like Whole Foods Market also make it perfect for bringing in a new business. I like all the vibrancy and potential I’ve seen in Jackson, and I’m excited to come and bring a growing brand to the city and offer it another great family-friendly restaurant.”