Operations

Qdoba reveals floor plans options

Qdoba is rolling out a ghost kitchen format.

October 21, 2020

Qdoba Mexican Eats has introduced a variety of restaurant formats including mobile-order drive-thrus, walk-up windows, mobile-order pick-up lockers, dedicated curbside pick-up areas, ghost kitchens and concepts with updated outdoor seating, according to a company press release. The formats come on the heels of a major multi-unit franchise development strategy announced last month that is set to grow the brand to 2,000 units.

"Today's customer wants a frictionless, safe experience and we're evolving to meet that need quickly with these new formats," Tim Welsh, Qdoba chief development officer, said in the release. "The concepts are designed with our consumer in mind and position our stores to grow sales within and outside the four walls while reducing buildout costs for franchisees."

The footprints will fuel the 730-unit brand's multi-unit growth in the years ahead as many are designed to grow off-premise sales, including ghost kitchen formats and smaller takeout footprints as low as 1,000 square feet designed with high-rent urban areas in mind.

"Our new formats are incredibly attractive to today's multi-unit operators, who are looking for chef-driven food quality at a lower investment than a traditional QSR, Peter Ortiz, VP of franchise development, said in the release. "With drive-thru equipped buildouts as low as 1,200 square feet coupled with our strong average unit volumes, Qdoba is well-positioned to meet the needs of today's franchisees."

Since the onset of the pandemic, Qdoba has continued to prioritize growth, with 15 openings since mid-March and more than 15 stores to open across the country between September and the end of the year, including San Diego, Ortiz said.