Mike Geiger and John Iaquinta took a chance 20 years ago when they opened their first Moe’s Southwest Grill franchise in Cranberry.
The move paid off — the business has since expanded to include 10 locations in Western Pennsylvania and two in Erie.
To celebrate two decades of serving Mexican food, each Thursday in February, Moe’s will offer any burrito or bowl for the 2005 price of $6.29 (the price is not valid on third-party delivery).
Geiger decided to open a Moe’s franchise when he noticed many burrito places while traveling as a technology salesman. He knew Iaquinta from high school and knew he was an executive chef.
Geiger’s mother saved one of the original menus, which is how they knew the original pricing.
“As the year progresses, we will have more offers,” Geiger said.
That includes debuting the Moe’s Queso Takeover food truck in April and giving away their chips and well-known queso, a blend of cheese and diced jalapenos.
“We know that our customers enjoy it when we just show up and give away free chips and queso, so we decided to create an entire mobile operation to be the cornerstone of our 20th-year celebration,” Iaquinta said in a statement.
“The truck is our thank-you note to Pittsburgh,” Geiger said. “We believe it’s our obligation to give back to the communities we serve.”
Catering continues to be a big part of their business, Geiger said, adding that they have seen an increase in the number of graduation parties.
After the debut in Cranberry, they opened a second location in Collier a year later. The third opened in Market Square in Downtown Pittsburgh in 2008; that space doubled in size 10 years later.
“We were just two local guys in our 20s when we bet everything we had to open that first location in Cranberry,” Geiger said. “To look back and know how many lives we have been able to impact, how many community projects we have helped bring to fruition, and to have served tens of millions of guests during those 20 years — we are truly humbled.”
