Originally from the town of Arkansas Pass, Jeff Kullman has always called Texas home. From Austin to Dallas, he worked his way throughout the state over the years, beginning in food sales for Land O’ Lakes and eventually landing in the real estate industry as an on-site salesman.

Then, after 27 years in the business, the economy came to a screeching halt. This was in 2009, and it was the wake-up call Kullman needed to finally pursue his own dream. For him, that dream came in the form of business ownership alongside his two sons, Jason and Josh. And he found exactly what he was looking for in MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes.

“From a business perspective I liked the idea of a fast casual burger concept and noticed that it was very similar to what I had worked on in home building. Looking at everything they had to offer, it was a simple model that held a lot of value. We felt the efficiency of the operation couldn’t be beat in the industry. We were also very impressed by their exceptional customer service and, frankly, the product is delicious,” Kullman said. “We knew that as soon as we introduced to the brand to our community, it would be a hit.”

Kullman was right—after opening his first location in Flower Mound, Texas in 2010, his family has seen incredible success. So much so, in fact, that he decided to buy the rights to the entire Austin territory, where he has since opened two additional locations. Today, he and his two sons are the proud owners of five MOOYAH restaurants throughout Texas.  

There are many other multi-unit franchisees throughout Texas with success stories similar to Kullman. And now, by focusing its development efforts on expanding in prime territories throughout the Lone Star State, countless other entrepreneurs have the opportunity to create success stories of their own, too.

This development push comes shortly after MOOYAH celebrated the opening of its 100th restaurant—a milestone that gave the brand the momentum needed to continue growing its presence in new markets across the country, while bolstering its footprint in existing territories. There are currently 34 MOOYAH locations throughout Texas.

“When it came to laying out our development strategy for 2017, we wanted to make a more targeted effort in specific areas that are strong growth markets. Being born and raised in Dallas, MOOYAH has a solid foundation in Texas. But we realized that there’s still immense opportunity to continue expanding in our home state,” said Jordan Duran, the director of franchise sales for MOOYAH. “There’s a lot of low hanging fruit throughout the state, and this is the year that we focus our energy on those areas with a strong and targeted development strategy.”  

In particular, Duran has identified Houston and San Antonio as the brand’s highest opportunity markets. Right now, Houston is completely open, and it could easily fit as many as 25 restaurants. And with two locations in San Antonio, this city boasts plenty of untapped prospects, too. West Texas—which includes cities like Lubbock, Amarillo, Midland, Abilene and Odessa—is another priority area with no deals currently signed in the region. All of these areas line up with MOOYAH’s demographic and lifestyle bench marks for growth. And the fact that they’re all close to the brand’s headquarters in Dallas doesn’t hurt, either.

“We have two of the country’s largest markets, Houston and San Antonio, wide open for development. Which is why, this year, we’ll be extremely focused on building those markets out,” Duran said.

To help fuel MOOYAH’s growth in Texas, Duran said they’re targeting dedicated franchisees— like Kullman, for example—who recognize the brand’s unparalleled return on investment and, in turn, the value in multi-unit ownership.

“To help MOOYAH expand its presence in our home-state of Texas, we’re looking for strong multi-unit partners who are eager to establish a foothold in these markets and grow along with us,” Duran said. “We’re looking forward to bringing on more people who are excited to join the growing MOOYAH family, and we’re confident that Texas is the perfect place to make that happen.”