Partners Jimmy Piedrahita and and Willie Muñoz, along with Mojo founders Shawn and Shelly Neifeld announced the expansion into Miami in April, but the partners didn't want to release the address and opening date until now: Mojo Donuts & Fried Chicken will open at 8870 Bird Rd. this August.
According to Piedrahita, the 1,600-square-foot restaurant and shop will offer indoor and outdoor seating, ample parking, a digital menu board, and an expanded selection of doughnuts, along with gourmet fried chicken. "There's not going to be anything in South Florida that comes even close to it." The restaurant will also serve beer, wine, and coffee.
The restaurant will offer up to 40 varieties of doughnuts daily from its repertoire of more than 200 recipes. But, Piedrahita says, the chicken is what will make Miamians flock to Westchester. Fried bird will be offered in different flavors, though the Mojo partner doesn't want to share what those flavors are just yet. "It's being kept under wraps because we want to make sure it's done right. We want to put the same care and emphasis on the chicken as we do for the doughnuts."
The entrepreneur says the doughnut-and-chicken combo is "completely unbelievable." Though word got out last week that James Beard Award winner Michael Solomonov would open Federal Donuts, his
All doughnuts and chicken will be made in-house daily. "You have to make them fresh. We will never sell commissary doughnuts. We hand-roll, hand-cut, bake, and serve the doughnuts fresh on the same day." Piedrahita says doughnuts won't even be transported between the two locations. "To have the perfect doughnut, you have to have perfect conditions. Once you start traveling with them, you lose the quality."
Mojo Donuts will open daily at 6 a.m. and won't close until the food sells out for the day. To accommodate Miami crowds, production equipment has been doubled at the Westchester location. The reasoning, according to Piedrahita: "We expect Miami to be a much stronger market."
Piedrahita is also talking to Miami breweries and coffee producers to finalize what beverages Mojo will carry.
Even with the expansion, Piedrahita wants people to know that Mojo is still a local shop. "We really want to get involved with local organizations. At the end of the day, we want a place that will cater to our clients. We want to open something from the heart."
