News

Qdoba joins KidsLive Well

July 12, 2012

Qdoba Mexican Grill has joined the National Restaurant Association’s Kids LiveWell program as the organization celebrates its one-year anniversary.

Seven of Qdoba’s kids menu items were reviewed by dieticians and chosen as healthier options for children. The menu items include: Lil' Chicken Soft Taco, Lil' Naked Chicken Burrito with Beans, Lil' Naked Chicken Burrito with Double Beans, Lil' Naked Chicken Burrito without Beans, Lil' Naked Steak Burrito, Lil' Naked Pulled Pork Burrito, and the Lil' Naked Veggie Burrito. The menu items are available at Qdoba's 600 restaurant locations across the United States.

The National Restaurant Association’s (NRA) Kids LiveWell initiative now has more than 100 participating restaurant brands committed to providing families with a growing selection of healthful children’s menu choices when dining out.

The program also has added its first museum – the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis – to its ranks, as well as Arby’s Restaurants with more than 3,500 locations. Kids LiveWell now includes 104 brands representing more than 29,000 locations nationwide.

“Kids LiveWell continues to build momentum and expand into new venues in every state across the country,” said Dawn Sweeney, president and CEO of the National Restaurant Association. “We are so pleased to welcome new participants Arby’s, Qdoba Mexican Grill and the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, and commend them for their commitment to children’s nutrition and well-being. The industry’s positive response to customer demand is exciting to watch, and we look forward to what the next year will bring.”

To join Kids LiveWell, restaurants agree to offer and promote a selection of items that meet qualifying nutrition criteria based on leading health organizations’ scientific recommendations, including the 2010 USDA Dietary Guidelines.

“We are impressed with the work that Kids LiveWell has done in the last year to promote healthful menu choices for children,” said Karen Guido, vice president of Marketing at Qdoba. “At Qdoba, we strive to provide more nutritious options for our young guests and are proud to join the initiative and bring our wide variety of healthier choices to this growing table.”

The NRA developed Kids LiveWell in collaboration with Healthy Dining, whose team of registered dietitians works with restaurants to identify and validate the qualifying menu choices, which focus on fruits and vegetables, lean protein, whole grains and low-fat dairy. Participating restaurants and their qualifying items can be found on HealthyDiningFinder.com.

In May, the NRA launched a free Kids LiveWell App to connect parents to restaurants offering healthful children’s menu items under the Kids LiveWell program. The app is geo-coded so that users will be able to find restaurants nearest to them with Kids LiveWell menu items. The free app is available in the Android Market and iTunes app store.