The popular Bubbakoo’s Burritos restaurant with its unique skater-surfer vibe is expected to open its second Space Coast location at the end of the year in the Sabal Palm Plaza shopping center in Palm Bay.
It is the second franchise owned by TJ Johnston. He opened his first location about a year ago in Melbourne.
Why Bubbakoo’s? He said the chain started in 2008 in Point Pleasant, N.J., where his wife’s mother lived. They ate there several times and really liked it. According to the company’s website, “The roots of Bubbakoo’s are in the skater and shore scene, but all are welcome in what’s quickly become a neighborhood hub of activity.”
So, after he and his wife, Analise, moved to Melbourne in 2018 so she could attend the Florida Institute of Technology, they started looking around for franchise prospects. Just so happens his mother-in-law, who was still living in New Jersey, had some connections with Bubbakoo’s. Voila! TJ and Analise were sold. Since then, his mother-in-law has moved down to Melbourne to retire and his parents live in Winter Park so the whole family is here now. And, it seems, they couldn’t be more thrilled.
Bubbakoo’s Burritos has 60 franchise locations — 37 in New Jersey; 7 in New York; 2 in Ohio; 3 in Pennsylvania; 1 in Las Vegas; 1 in Tennessee; 2 in California; 2 in Kentucky; and 5 in Florida, two of which TJ Johnston owns.
Bubbakoo’s is famous for its build-your-own burritos and bowls and all kinds of other Mexican favorites.
