Pokemoto Opens First Texas Location


Pokemoto, Hawaiian Poke Bowls Make a Splash in Highland Village, Texas

Fort Worth, Texas, Jan. 11, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pokemoto, Muscle Maker, Inc.’s (Nasdaq: GRIL) expanding Hawaiian poke bowl restaurant concept, today announced that it will officially open its doors in Highland Village tomorrow, January 12th with a grand opening celebration on January 13th. The Highland Village opening celebration represents the first Pokemoto opening in the Lone Star state and the company’s first opening in 2023. Entering the state of Texas marks Pokemoto’s sixteenth state on the map for open or coming soon locations.

The new Pokemoto will open its doors for a Community VIP day on Thursday, January 12th from 4:30 PM – 7:30 PM offering 50% off regular size bowls to those who serve the community. The offer is available to fire, police, EMT and medical personnel, teachers and public works employees. The doors open to the public at 11 AM on Friday, January 13th for the official grand opening where the local Pokemoto team will have samples available and a prize wheel where guests can win various prizes and coupons.

Sasha Gomez, the Highland Village Pokemoto franchisee commented “Highland Village is the perfect spot for a Pokemoto and I’m proud to be a part of the community. The area is known for its entertainment, festivals, dining and retail shopping, but was in need of a good poke and boba tea shop! I’m expecting the grand opening to be a big event this Friday and I look forward to serving up delicious poke bowls to the residents of Highland Village and beyond.”

Located at 3090 Justin Road in Highland Village, TX this Pokemoto location will offer up bowls, salads, burritos, fruit and milk boba teas, hand-held musubis and more via dine-in, takeout and 3rd party online ordering. The Highland Village trade area encompasses numerous medical facilities, lifestyle centers and more making it an ideal location for the brand. Highland Village is a part of Denton County, the 7th most populous county in the state of Texas.

“The Highland Village Pokemoto is the first Pokemoto opening of 2023 and we’re looking to celebrate the grand opening on Friday in a big way. At the end of 2022, we announced crossing the milestone of 55 franchise agreements signed with numerous locations in the design and construction phase. Now we get to see one of the locations that was under construction move over to the opening phase this week as well as our company officially planting the first Pokemoto flag in the Texas market. This is all exciting news for our team and we’re focused on keeping the momentum going” said Michael Roper, CEO. He continued, “Our development, operations and marketing teams work diligently to guide franchisees through the Pokemoto sales cycle all the way through opening and beyond. We’re thrilled to have our new Highland Village franchise partner on board and look forward to serving the Highland Village community!”

The Pokemoto franchise model generates up to $25,000 per unit for the initial franchise fee, when the agreement is signed while also providing up to 6% of net sales as an ongoing monthly royalty rate once each location is opened. The typical franchise agreement is for 10 years with a 5 year renewal option. The Company does allow, in certain instances, for discounted fees for multi-unit or special agreements.

About Pokemoto

Pokemoto, a Hawaiian Poke bowl concept known for its modern culinary twist on a traditional Hawaiian classic has open or coming soon locations in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Florida, Maryland, Virginia, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, Kansas and California. Pokemoto offers contemporary flavors with fresh delectable ingredients that appeals to foodies, health enthusiasts, and sushi-lovers everywhere. Guests can choose from a list of signature bowls or be bold and build their own unique combination of a base, protein, various toppings and nine different sauces. Vegetarian options are available, and the bowl combinations are virtually limitless. The colorful dishes and modern chic dining rooms provide an uplifting dining experience for guests of all ages. Customers can dine in-store or order online via third party delivery apps for contactless delivery.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may include “forward-looking statements” pursuant to the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. To the extent that the information presented in this press release discusses financial projections, information, or expectations about our business plans, results of operations, products or markets, or otherwise makes statements about future events, such statements are forward-looking. Such forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as “should”, “may,” “intends,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “projects,” “forecasts,” “expects,” “plans,” and “proposes.” Although we believe that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, there are a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking statements. You are urged to carefully review and consider any cautionary statements and other disclosures, including the statements made under the heading “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in documents that we file from time to time with the SEC. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of the document in which they are contained, and Muscle Maker, Inc., does not undertake any duty to update any forward-looking statements except as may be required by law.

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