Qdoba Mexican Restaurant

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 1,300-square-foot (120 m ² ) 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 450 fast casual restaurant locations throughout the United States. In 2003, San Diego-based Jack in the Box company acquired the chain from a private investment firm called ACI Capital.

Qdoba serves burritos made in the San Francisco burrito style, tacos, quesadillas, taco salads, 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 "Hot, Mild, Medium? To go?"

Competition

The main national rivals to Qdoba are Baja Fresh, Moe's Southwest Grill, Panchero's Mexican Grill, and Chipotle Mexican Grill, which also started in Denver in 1993. Qdoba also faces intense competition in some markets from smaller regional chains such as Anna's Taqueria, El Torito, Taco del Mar, and Baja Sol Tortilla 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."

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "ACI Capital - Portfolio". ACI Capital . http://www.acicapital.com/portfolio.html . Retrieved 2009-07-30 .  
2. ^ Abelson, Jeff (2006-11-10). "Arguments spread thick". The Boston Globe . http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2006/11/10/arguments_spread_thick/ . Retrieved 2009-07-30 .  

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