“Welcome to Moe’s!” was the familiar and unmistakable sound that filled the bright and airy new restaurant located at 5486 Post Oak Blvd. — the first business to open in the new retail strip center between The WingHouse and The Learning Experience, near the entrance to the Lexington Oaks community off Wesley Chapel Blvd. The second Moe’s Southwest Grill to open in Wesley Chapel (the other is in The Shops at Wiregrass) was a happening place during its Grand Opening on Apr. 19.
The lure was too good for some to pass up. To celebrate, the new Moe’s gave tickets for “Burritos On Us for a Year” to the first 50 people in line for the planned 10:30 a.m. opening. The tickets are good for one burrito (or bowl) per week for a year.
But, since there were already 75-100 people on line outside the new Moe’s long before 10:30, one of the restaurant’s partners, Jason Catalanotto, began handing out the 50 tickets at 9 a.m. “Many of them camped out overnight,” Catalanotto said.
José Garcia (photo, above), who received ticket #50, works in local construction and had just recently moved to Wesley Chapel. Garcia said his girlfriend is the one who told him about the burrito giveaway. When asked what time he had to get there (to be the last ticket recipient), he explained, “I got here a few minutes before 8 a.m.”
Those who arrived after 8 didn’t go away empty-handed. Next to the ordering counter, the new Moe’s had a colorful prize wheel set up where you could spin to win “merch” like squishy avocado shaped stress relievers, free kids meals, can koozies, or most creatively…T-shirts rolled up in foil like burritos!
Catalanotto said that he and his partners Chirag (photo, right) and Aman Patel began working on the vision for this Moe’s location nearly two years ago and Moe’s is now the first business to open in this new plaza. The four adjacent suites are not yet occupied, but the suite directly behind Moe’s in the plaza is busy with interior construction. Aman Patel told the Neighborhood News that Little Caesar’s Pizza will occupy the space next to Moe’s and the space on the other side of Little Caesar’s will be “either a Jimmy John’s Sandwich Shop or Jersey Mike’s Subs,” with a dentist’s office planning to open in the plaza’s other end cap.
Laceleaf Med Spa
The day Moe’s opened, owner Lisa Rezvan (photo, left) of Laceleaf Med Spa, which will be located directly behind Moe’s in the plaza, was busy going over construction plans and coordinating her build-out.
Rezvan, who lives in New Port Richey, wanted to have a location in Wesley Chapel but still wanted to live close to the water.
“I really like Wesley Chapel, you can feel the positive energy in the people here,” she said. She also said she plans to open Laceleaf in June, and that her focus is on luxury, level of care and most important to her, “long-term results,” not just something that is a temporary solution. She said the thing that sets her apart mostly will be the Radio Frequency (RF) Microneedling and other unique services she says you won’t find anywhere else in Wesley Chapel.
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