MOOYAH to join Tribe Square

Tribe Square The William and Mary Real Estate Foundation announced Friday that MOOYAH has signed a lease to claim the fourth and final restaurant spot available in the recently completed mixed-use development just off campus that combines student housing and student retail.

by Brian Whitson | October 14, 2011

Burgers, fries and milkshakes are making their way to Tribe Square.

The William and Mary Real Estate Foundation announced Friday that MOOYAH has signed a lease to claim the fourth and final restaurant spot available in the recently completed mixed-use development just off campus that combines student housing and student retail.

It will be the first MOOYAH restaurant in Virginia for the Texas-based restaurant chain. The Foundation announced in August that The Crust, Pita Pit and Subway Café have signed leases for Tribe Square, located on Richmond Road directly across from campus. The Foundation is planning a dedication of the building at 6:15 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 20.

“With its focus on burgers and fries, MOOYAH is a wonderful compliment to the restaurants already scheduled to be part of Tribe Square,” said Nancy Buchanan, executive director of the William and Mary Real Estate Foundation. “We think the students and the rest of the community will really enjoy having all of these new late-night dining options in town.”

The Crust, a new restaurant concept developed by Baker’s Crust, will become the first eatery to open and plans to start serving its authentic wood-fired Neapolitan pizza, microbrews and other menu items on Monday. The Subway Café, which leverages the chain’s partnership with Seattle’s Best to embrace a coffeehouse ambiance, is scheduled to open in mid-November. The Pita Pit, which offers pita-bread sandwiches, soups and salads, and MOOYAH should both be open by early in the spring semester, Buchanan said.

Both The Crust and Pita Pit have spaces that face Richmond Road that enables them to offer large outdoor cafes for al fresco dining on private terraces. As part of the lease agreements, all the restaurants will remain open until at least 1 a.m.

Tribe Square, which was completed this summer, includes four retail spaces on the first floor and apartment-style student residences on the second and third floor with 14 apartments. The 56-bed facility was completely filled when students returned in August.