Moe's Southwest Grill has been recognized as the Brand of the Year in the Fast Casual Mexican Restaurant category based on the 2017 Harris Poll EquiTrend Study, for the second year in a row. The fast casual industry is continuing to expand creating a landscape of fierce competition as brands look for unique ways to stand out from the crowd.

For Moe's, a southwest brand with swagger, the importance of fresh, high quality food with an extensive variety of menu options and staying true to the brand – bold, family-friendly and doesn't take itself too seriously – continue to be at the center of what drives success.

"To earn this title for the second year running is a tremendous honor for the entire Moe's system – it reinforces that our focus setting Moe's apart from many competitive options is being supported by our guests," said Bruce Schroder, President, Moe's Southwest Grill. "We are grateful for our loyal fans, our roadies who embrace them and our franchise owners who are dedicated to delivering the food you crave in a welcoming environment that rocks!"

Moe's is serious about having an extensive variety of fresh ingredients and menu options. This is important to our fans and that's why several ingredients are made in-house daily including: seasonal salsas, guacamole, pico de gallo, grilled vegetables, black beans and many more! Plus, at Moe's the meats are grilled right in front of our guests where everything from the staples like burritos to specialty items like quesadillas, nachos and stacks are on the menu.

The Harris Poll recognizes the strongest brands by surveying more than 100,000 U.S. consumers and measuring familiarity, quality and purchase consideration. Moe's Southwest Grill received the highest numerical score among Fast Casual Mexican Restaurant brands included in the 2017 Harris Poll EquiTrend^® Study, which is based on opinions of 102,617 U.S. consumers ages 15 and over surveyed online between December 30, 2016 and February 21, 2017. "Highest Ranked was determined by a pure ranking of a sample of Fast Casual Mexican restaurant brands.