Franchising

Qdoba opens 400th franchised unit

Provided

February 3, 2021

Qdoba, which has nearly 750 locations, opened its 400th franchise last month revealing an updated design with a drive-thru. Located in Brighton, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit, the unit marks the 15th location for Southwind Restaurant Group, which began franchising with the concept in 2005 and also owns 19 Burger Kings.

"We were one of QDOBA's earliest franchisees, so it means a lot to us to be a part of this celebrated opening," Greg Johnroe of Southwind Restaurant Group, said in a company press release. "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."

In October, Qdoba unveiled several floorplan options designed to help it meet its goal of 2,000 locations via multi-unit growth.

Many of the newly introduced concepts are designed to grow off-premise sales, including ghost kitchen formats and smaller takeout footprints developed with high-rent urban areas in mind. Notably, restaurants with drive-thrus can enter spaces as low as 1,200 square feet, CEO Peter Ortiz said in the release.