San Diego — QDOBA Mexican Eats® (QDOBA), the largest franchise opportunity in the fast-casual Mexican segment, has opened its 400th franchise location (pictured). The landmark opening underscores the brand’s dynamic development strategy to expand to 2,000 units. QDOBA’s growth will be fueled by blending a mix of current franchisees expanding their portfolios, new franchisee acquisition and corporate development.
QDOBA’s 400th franchise restaurant had its grand opening on Jan. 19 in Brighton, Mich., a suburb of Detroit. The modernized QDOBA features several of the brand’s recent innovations, including a new drive-thru format and updated interior and exterior designs. The opening marks the 15th QDOBA for Southwind Restaurant Group, the franchisee owner/operator team that began franchising with the concept in 2005.
“We were one of QDOBA’s earliest franchisees, so it means a lot to us to be a part of this celebrated opening,” says Greg Johnroe of Southwind Restaurant Group. “Of all the restaurants we’ve done, this one is special to us. The state-of-the-art drive-thru and streamlined kitchen layout are designed to give our customers new ways to engage with our freshly-prepared menu. We couldn’t be prouder to be a part of QDOBA and are excited to continue growing with the brand.”
Southwind Restaurant Group’s Johnroe and Kevin Egnatuk have 20-plus years of restaurant franchise experience, including owning and operating 19 Burger King locations in Michigan.
“Talented and experienced franchisees like Greg, Kevin and their team are what make us who we are,” says Peter Ortiz, vice president of franchise development for QDOBA. “We are constantly working with our franchisees to create new ways to improve the customer experience, and we are proud that our 400th location is one that embodies many of our latest innovations.”
QDOBA recently unveiled new restaurant footprints built to fuel the 740-unit brand’s multi-unit growth in the years ahead. Many of the newly introduced concepts are designed to grow off-premise sales, including ghost kitchen formats and smaller takeout footprints as low as 1,000 square feet developed with high-rent urban areas in mind. Notably, restaurants with drive-thrus can enter spaces as low as 1,200 square feet.
QDOBA is a fast-casual Mexican restaurant with more than 740 locations in the U.S. and Canada. For more information, visit https://www.qdobafranchise.com.
To read Retail & Restaurant Facility Business‘s November 2020 cover story on QDOBA, click here.
SOURCE: QDOBA Mexican Eats