New Mexican fusion restaurant coming to Middle Georgia in Warner Robins

A Mexican fusion restaurant new to Middle Georgia is joining a craft beer bar, nail salon and a pizza buffet in the Shops at Aria in Warner Robins.

New Jersey-based Bubbakoo’s Burritos is the final tenant to sign in the first phase of the new retail shopping center at 3151 Russell Parkway, said leasing agent Derek Foster, an associate broker for The Summit Group.

Bubbakoo’s Burritos is going into Suite 400 between the new The Brass Tap, which opened Labor Day, and Royal Nails and Spa, which opened first in the shopping plaza in late June.

The new Pizza Inn, the other tenant in phase one, is expected to open soon. The new pizza buffet recently passed its initial inspection required before opening with the Georgia Department of Public Health. The establishment is also hiring.

Bubbakoo’s Burritos franchisee Rushabh Patel said he and his two business partners are targeting a first quarter 2027 opening.

With the growth along the western section of Russell Parkway and the absence of a quick serve Mexican restaurant in that area, the business partners saw a need and a business opportunity in the Shops at Aria, Patel said.

The men also checked out “everything” about the Bubbakoo’s Burritos brand, he said.

“This is a good franchise,” Patel said. “This is a good opportunity, and it’s going to be great for us and the community.”

Bubbakoo’s Burritos is known for its Mexican fusion menu that blends “traditional Mexican-inspired dishes like burritos and tacos with non-traditional global flavors and American comfort food,” according to the company’s franchise website.

Customers may build their own burritos, bowls, tacos, quesadillas, nachos and taco salads as they go down an assembly line manned by restaurant employees.

Among the restaurant’s signature dishes is papi hibachi burrito that is described on the menu as packed with hibachi-style steak and shrimp, cilantro-lime rice, black beans, fresh pico de gallo, sour cream and cheese wrapped in a warm tortilla.

Another signature dish is the General Tso’s taco trio of three soft tacos filled with saucy General Tso’s crispy chicken, cilantro lime white rice, fresh jalapenos, cilantro, lettuce and a side of chips, according to the menu.

The chiwawa is the restaurant’s signature panko crusted cheesy rice ball that customers can customize with a choice of protein and sauce.

After years of working together in the restaurant industry, Paul Altero and Bill Hart developed the restaurant concept and founded Bubbakoo’s Burritos in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, in 2008, according to the company’s restaurant website.

The restaurant’s name traces back to 1995 when Altero was in college and wrote a business plan for a class assignment after visiting a “make-your-own” burrito shop, according to the company’s franchise website. Altero’s college nickname was “Bubba,” and he added the “koo” to  the name of his then fictional business “because it sounded fun and unique.”

Bubbakoo’s Burritos started franchising in 2016, opened its 100th restaurant in early 2023 in Orange, Connecticut, and was named in Entrepreneur Magazine’s 46th Annual Franchise 500 list in 2024, according to the company’s restaurant website. In 2025, Bubbakoo’s Burritos was acquired by Thompson Street Capital Partners, a private equity firm based in St. Louis.

Today, the company has more than 150 locations across 17 states, including three existing locations in Georgia, according to the company’s restaurant website. Those Georgia locations are Johns Creek, Jonesboro and Stockbridge.