The Ate-TL: Moe's Southwest Grill with Mary Lynn Rajskub

"The Ate-TL: Moe's Southwest Grill with Mary Lynn Rajskub" is Episode 224 of *Doughboys*, hosted by Mike Mitchell and Nick Wiger. "The Ate-TL: Moe's Southwest Grill with Mary Lynn Rajskub" was released on October 10, 2019.

## Synopsis

For **Octdoughberfest 2019: The Ate-TL**, the 'boys are joined by Mary Lynn Rajskub (*24*, *It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia*, *Checking In with Mary Lynn*) to review Moe's Southwest Grill, an Atlanta-founded chain serving Mexican cuisine. Plus, another edition of Snack or Wack.

## Nick's intro

On May 5, 1965, at Magoo's Pizza in the San Francisco Bay Area, a psychedelic rock band gave their first public performance as The Warlocks. By December of that same year, the drug-friendly troubadours had already developed an avid following among hippies and The Warlocks renamed themselves the Grateful Dead. For the next five plus decades, the Grateful Dead seemed to be on a constant tour, performing on an unending string of road dates while being followed by perhaps the most fanatical fans in all of fandom, the Deadheads.

Originally a loosely organized mailing list, the Deadheads evolved into a group of nomadic acolytes traveling the world, meticulously documenting setlists and recording live performances, which they swapped via physical tapes and later the internet.

Surviving the deaths of multiple band members, including frontman Jerry Garcia, the Grateful Dead continue their tour to this very day, though many Deadheads followed the baby-boomer arc of abandoning counterculture for the normalcy of consumer culture.

And one such Deadhead was Martin Sprock who, in the 1980s, opted for a grown-up career in real estate before moving on to the restaurant industry in 1995 when he launched Atlanta's own Planet Smoothie. The smoothie chain didn't exactly take over the planet, but it thrived enough to fund Sprock's second, more successful concept: a quick-service Mexican-American restaurant founded in Atlanta in 2000.

With a customizable, made-to-order Mexican menu, the eatery naturally invited comparisons to Chipotle, though Sprock insists his concept was conceived as a "Mexican Subway." Sprock's chain expanded beyond Atlanta and across the region, becoming the Southeast's favorite Southwestern food, known for its pop culture-inspired menu items and the enthusiastic verbal greeting each customer receives from staff.

And Sprock's Deadhead roots informed the chain's playlists and decor, although it crossed the line into copyright infringement in 2005 when the company was sued by the Jerry Garcia estate for using his image and quotes on in-store wall art.

Still, today, Sprock's chain has over 700 locations, covering much of North America, a lot like the Grateful Dead's touring schedule. As for the restaurant's name, it doesn't refer to an individual at all, but rather as an acronym fitting for the band once called The Warlocks: M.O.E. - "musicians, outlaws, and entertainers."

This week on *Doughboys*, we continue **Octdoughberfest 2019: The Doughboys Present The Ate-TL**, our month-long exploration of Atlanta's food (and other stuff) with Atlanta's own Moe's Southwest Grill.

## Fork rating

 Mike Mitchell
* Homewrecker Burrito
 Mary Lynn Rajskub
 shared
* Handcrafted Guac
* Moe's Cookies
	+ Snickerdoodle
	+ Chocolate Chunk
	+ Oatmeal Raisin

*To note, Rajskub also offers a 3 fork rating to The Flying Biscuit Cafe, which The Doughboys reviewed in the previous episode (she joined them at the meal). This rating knocks The Flying Biscuit Cafe out of the Golden Plate Club.*

## Snack or Wack

In Snack or Wack, The Doughboys have a snack and decide if it is 'good' or 'bad'.

For this episode, they have a leftover snack that had been given to them at a live show. It was a box of numerous flavors of saltwater taffy and a love note to Yusong; I believe it to have been Moko & Co's New England Salt Water Taffy.

 Mike Mitchell
 Mary Lynn Rajskub

## #hashtags

* #DoughboysU or #DoughboysCollegeTeam
* #PuzzleSolution

## Related Episodes

* 223. The Flying Biscuit Cafe
* DD. Peaches and Scream
* 224. **Moe's Southwest Grill**
* DD. The Doughboys Went Down To Georgia
* 225. The Varsity
* DD. Deliveryance
* 226. Krystal
* DD. Biggie Feedbag XV
* 227. Cook Out
* 224. **Moe's Southwest Grill**
* 303. Auntie Anne's

## Photos

Moe's Famous QuesoHandcrafted GuacChips, Queso, and GuacSaladHomewrecker BurritoThree Amigos TacoHomewrecker BurritoFirst Rule of Chicken Club Quesadilla