Have you ever been to a Moe’s Southwest Grill? For those who haven’t, there’s this thing that the employees have to do where whenever you enter they scream at the top of their lungs “WELCOME TO MOE’S!”
How would you like that when you checked into your hotel on vacation? Pretty startling, right? Thankfully, there are no Moe’s employees lurking at the Moe’s Spicy Shack, a fully-branded hotel experience in Miami. But there is wall-to-wall Moe’s branding:
The company announced that customers can book a May weekend getaway at the space, located in Miami’s Upper East Side neighborhood, with reservations starting on April 12 at noon. The whole thing is to commemorate the new spicy chicken available in Moe’s restaurants.
Spicy food lovers, rejoice! You and a guest have a chance to book a weekend for two in May at the Spicy Shack — a uniquely HOT vacation destination in Miami. Reservations open on Tuesday, April 12 at 12pm ET on a first-come first-served basis. Book here: https://t.co/qsVmpBWPYN pic.twitter.com/RFc8zkcFvL
— Moe's Southwest Grill (@Moes_HQ) April 5, 2022
It’s pretty much exactly what it sounds like. All of the amenities are branded in the Moe’s style in some way or another, whether explicitly with logos or just playing into the color scheme. There are pillows with the logo on it. There are posters. There’s patterned wallpaper. The bed is outfitted with blankets that look like tortillas. There is what looks like a little Moe’s candle in the bathroom.
And, of course, the kitchen is all set up with a Spicy Chicken Taco Meal Kit if the culinary hub of Miami isn’t enough for you.
“Our new Spicy Chicken deserves a bold celebration, so we wanted to bring the heat to give back to brand fans by creating an oasis for those spicy food enthusiasts,” Tony Bartlett, Moe’s chief brand officer, said in a press release.
There are four weekends available, including a three-day weekend for Cinco de Mayo (of course).
This takes the idea of a pop-up to a new level. This is someone literally living in a billboard. This isn’t just a store transforming for a special event or incorporating a co-branding aesthetic. This will literally be a couple of people eating, sleeping and breathing Moe’s Southwest Grill for a whole weekend.
Taco Bell did something like this before, turning an entire hotel into a branded experience. And at the rate other fast food and fast-casual restaurants have been pushing the promotional envelope, we wouldn’t be surprised if we see more of this kind of thing moving forward. The only question is how big will brands go?
