Welcome to Moe’s! We hear that greeting every time we visit Moe’s Southwest Grill, but it isn’t just the friendly service that keeps customers coming back. Back in May, Moe’s was recognized for the second year in a row as the highest ranked Fast Casual Mexican Restaurant Brand by the Harris Poll. Moe’s has over 600 locations, and they’re all locally owned and operated. Local franchise owners are dedicated to delivering quality craveable food in a welcoming environment that rocks.

Recently we were invited to dine at our local Moe’s and learn more about one of our favorite fast casual joints. If you’re new to the brand, we’ve prepared this list of five fun facts to introduce you to the fresh southwest restaurant that doesn’t take itself too seriously. We’ve been enjoying Moe’s Southwest Grill for years, and even we didn’t know #5 before writing this feature. Did you?

1) Unlimited FREE Chips and Salsa!

Never before have words been assembled in a manner that makes us happier than “Unlimited Free Chips & Salsa.” Those delicious chips are flash-fried daily, and come free with every meal at Moe’s. We swear they’ll give you all the chips you want, just don’t throw away the basket!

2) Salsas and Guacamole from Scratch

Moe’s salsas and guacamole are prepared from scratch daily. Just imagine how much chopping, dicing, and mixing it takes to make all of that free salsa. Hit up the free salsa bar for a variety of fresh tastes to try with your chips. We’re particularly fond of the seasonal options.

3) Pop-Culture Inspired Menu Items

Don’t be intimidated by those creative names on the menu at Moe’s. They’re all inspired by fun pop-culture references, but you can also order the boring way too. To be honest, we find the names a bit confusing, so we just tell the server what ingredients we want and they’re totally flexible.

Here are a few examples, but there are many more on the full menu:

• Alright, Alright, Alright – Nachos – Dazed and Confused
• Close Talker – Salad – Seinfeld
• Funkmeister – Tacos – Sly & The Family Stone
• Earmuffs – Bowl – Old School
• John Coctostan – Quesadilla – Fletch
• First Rule of Chicken Club – Quesadilla – Fight Club

4) 20+ Fresh and Flavorful Ingredients

At Moe’s, there are over 20 fresh and flavorful ingredients available to customize any meal. They have quality options to fit any taste or diet, and they make it right there in front of you. To ensure they’re always hot and ready as you order, proteins are grilled and chopped on a consistent production cycle all day.

5) MOE = Musicians, Outlaws & Entertainers

True story. There was no guy named Moe serving up Burritos in the original restaurant. MOE is actually an acronym for Musicians, Outlaws, and Entertainers. Restaurants play a hand-select playlist of tunes that pay homage to dearly departed musicians, and even the artwork on the walls has a musical theme.

How we Freshen up Mealtime with Moe’s

My wife and I eat at Moe’s Southwest Grill together, and we both order steak bowls (Earmuffs), but that is where the similarities end. Her bowl on the right includes white rice, steak, onions, salsa, lettuce, cheese, and jalapenos, with guacamole & sour cream on the side. She eats the bowl with a fork and dips her chips into the fresh salsa, guacamole and sour cream. I treat my bowl like a dip for the chips, and keep it simple with brown rice, steak, onions, salsa, and cheese. I’m a nice guy, so I order guacamole and sour cream on the side so my wife can have more. Did I mention they don’t charge for guacamole? How great is that?

Visit Moe’s website to find your local Moe’s!