Qdoba Mexican Grill
Encyclopedia
Qdoba Mexican Grill is a chain of fast casual "Fresh Mex" restaurants in the United States serving Mexican
-style cuisine. The company is owned by Jack in the Box, having been owned and expanded by ACI Capital until 2003.
Founder and Colorado
native Anthony Miller and partner Robert Hauser opened the first restaurant in 1995. The Denver, Colorado
, location was an immediate success with first year revenues exceeding $1,500,000. The cost of opening the 1300 square feet (120.8 m²) store was only $180,000.
The restaurants have gone through a few name changes. After initially opening as Zuma, the name was changed to Z-TECA Mexican Grill to avoid confusion with other Zuma Mexican restaurants. When that name was deemed to be too similar to Z'Tejas Southwestern Grill the name Qdoba was invented.
Qdoba now operates over 700 fast casual restaurant locations throughout the United States. In 2003, San Diego
-based Jack in the Box company acquired the chain from ACI Capital, a private equity management firm that was the outgrowth of commodity-trader A.C. Israel Enterprises in the 19th century.
Qdoba serves burritos made in the San Francisco burrito style
, taco
s, quesadilla
s, taco salads, chile con queso, Mexican gumbo, and fresh guacamole
. The restaurant fits into the "fast casual" category, offering both quick service and a higher quality of food than typical fast-food restaurants. Customers order by selecting an entrée, then choosing its ingredients. All of the items are made in plain view of the customer. The chain's current slogan is "Fast Fresh and Friendly".
The main national rivals to Qdoba are Chipotle Mexican Grill
(which also started in Denver, two years before Qdoba), Baja Fresh
, Moe's Southwest Grill
, and Panchero's Mexican Grill
.
The company was recently involved in a lawsuit in which Panera Bread
attempted to invoke a clause in Panera's contract with the White City Shopping Center in Shrewsbury
, Massachusetts
, to stop the opening of a Qdoba Mexican Grill. The clause provided that Panera would be the only sandwich shop in the shopping center. Panera argued that burritos and other tortilla-based foods were, in fact, sandwiches. Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Locke ruled against Panera, concluding, "A sandwich is not commonly understood to include burritos, tacos and quesadillas, which are typically made with a single tortilla and stuffed with a choice filling of meat, rice, and beans." However, the Qdoba in Shrewsbury has since closed, while a Moe's Southwest Grill remains open across the street.
To keep up with its competition, especially Chipotle Mexican Grill
, and to draw more families, Qdoba introduced a kids' menu in December 2009.
Mexican cuisine
Mexican cuisine, a style of food that originates in Mexico, is known for its varied flavors, colourful decoration and variety of spices and ingredients, most of which are native to the country. The cuisine of Mexico has evolved through thousands of years of blending indigenous cultures, with later...
-style cuisine. The company is owned by Jack in the Box, having been owned and expanded by ACI Capital until 2003.
Founder and Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
native Anthony Miller and partner Robert Hauser opened the first restaurant in 1995. The Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, location was an immediate success with first year revenues exceeding $1,500,000. The cost of opening the 1300 square feet (120.8 m²) store was only $180,000.
The restaurants have gone through a few name changes. After initially opening as Zuma, the name was changed to Z-TECA Mexican Grill to avoid confusion with other Zuma Mexican restaurants. When that name was deemed to be too similar to Z'Tejas Southwestern Grill the name Qdoba was invented.
Qdoba now operates over 700 fast casual restaurant locations throughout the United States. In 2003, San Diego
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
-based Jack in the Box company acquired the chain from ACI Capital, a private equity management firm that was the outgrowth of commodity-trader A.C. Israel Enterprises in the 19th century.
Qdoba serves burritos made in the San Francisco burrito style
San Francisco burrito
San Francisco burrito is a type of burrito, originally a Mexican-American food, that originated in San Francisco, California. The San Francisco burrito is distinguished from a regular burrito partly by the amount of rice and other side dishes included in the package, and partly by its sheer size...
, taco
Taco
A taco is a traditional Mexican dish composed of a corn or wheat tortilla folded or rolled around a filling. A taco can be made with a variety of fillings, including beef, chicken, seafood, vegetables and cheese, allowing for great versatility and variety...
s, quesadilla
Quesadilla
A quesadilla is a flour or corn tortilla filled with a savoury mixture containing cheese and other ingredients, then folded in half to form a half-moon shape. This dish originated in Mexico, and the name is derived from the Spanish word queso ....
s, taco salads, chile con queso, Mexican gumbo, and fresh guacamole
Guacamole
Guacamole , is an avocado-based dip that originated in Mexico. It is traditionally made by mashing ripe avocados with a molcajete with sea salt. Some recipes call for limited tomato, spicy Asian spices such as white onion, lime juice, and/or additional seasonings.-History:Guacamole was made by...
. The restaurant fits into the "fast casual" category, offering both quick service and a higher quality of food than typical fast-food restaurants. Customers order by selecting an entrée, then choosing its ingredients. All of the items are made in plain view of the customer. The chain's current slogan is "Fast Fresh and Friendly".
Competition
Chipotle Mexican Grill
Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. is a chain of restaurants in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada specializing in burritos and tacos, founded by Steve Ells in 1993 and based in Denver, Colorado...
(which also started in Denver, two years before Qdoba), Baja Fresh
Baja Fresh
Baja Fresh is a chain of fast-casual Tex Mex restaurants founded in Newbury Park, California in 1990 and headquartered in Cypress, California. The chain emphasizes fresh ingredients, and each restaurant features a self-serve salsa bar....
, Moe's Southwest Grill
Moe's Southwest Grill
Moe's Southwest Grill is an American chain of fast casual style Tex-Mex restaurants headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.Moe's was founded in Atlanta, Georgia, in December 2000, by Raving Brands. In August 2007, the brand was purchased by FOCUS Brands...
, and Panchero's Mexican Grill
Panchero's Mexican Grill
Panchero's Mexican Grill is a chain of fast casual Fresh Mex restaurants in the United States serving Mexican-style cuisine. The chain was founded in 1992 by Rodney Anderson when he opened two units: one in Iowa City, Iowa , and one in East Lansing, Michigan...
.
The company was recently involved in a lawsuit in which Panera Bread
Panera Bread
Panera Bread is a chain of bakery–café quick casual restaurants in the United States and Canada that sells breads, sandwiches, soups, salads, and other bakery items. Its headquarters are in Sunset Hills, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis.-Corporate history:In 1993, Au Bon Pain Co...
attempted to invoke a clause in Panera's contract with the White City Shopping Center in Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury, Massachusetts
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 31,640 people, 12,366 households, and 8,693 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 12,696 housing units at an average density of...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, to stop the opening of a Qdoba Mexican Grill. The clause provided that Panera would be the only sandwich shop in the shopping center. Panera argued that burritos and other tortilla-based foods were, in fact, sandwiches. Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Locke ruled against Panera, concluding, "A sandwich is not commonly understood to include burritos, tacos and quesadillas, which are typically made with a single tortilla and stuffed with a choice filling of meat, rice, and beans." However, the Qdoba in Shrewsbury has since closed, while a Moe's Southwest Grill remains open across the street.
To keep up with its competition, especially Chipotle Mexican Grill
Chipotle Mexican Grill
Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. is a chain of restaurants in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada specializing in burritos and tacos, founded by Steve Ells in 1993 and based in Denver, Colorado...
, and to draw more families, Qdoba introduced a kids' menu in December 2009.