Qdoba is a chain of fast-casual restaurants in the United States and Canada serving Mexican-style cuisine. In October 2022, Qdoba was acquired by Butterfly Equity. At the time of the acquisition, Qdoba had nearly 750 locations across North America. It is the No.2 player and No.1 franchisor of Mexican fast-casual dining in North America.
This chain traces its origins to the opening of the Zuma Fresh Mexican Grill in 1995 by Colorado native Anthony Miller and partner Robert Hauser at Grant Street and Sixth Avenue in Denver, which is still in operation.
Hauser developed most of the recipes, designing the menu to be healthier by replacing traditional animal fats with vegetable oils and using more fresh vegetables and herbs. During the first year, lines stretched out the door most evenings, but it usually took roughly seven minutes for customers in a 30-person line to get served. Zuma was a made-up name but was also the name of a friend’s cat.
The Denver, Colorado, location was an immediate success, with first-year revenues exceeding $1,500,000. In 1997, the name of the company was changed from Zuma to Z-Teca Mexican Grill. During the same year, Z-teca began to offer franchise opportunities to entrepreneurs to expand the chain outside of its core territory of Colorado.
Even though Z-Teca was another made-up name, there were lawsuits by Z’Tejas Southwestern Grill in Arizona and Azteca in Washington state claiming that the Z-Teca name was too similar to their names and infringed upon their trade names. To overcome these problems, the name Qdoba was invented in 1999. By May 2022, Qdoba operates over 750 fast-casual restaurant locations throughout the United States, with 12 locations in Canada.
Qdoba serves burritos made in the San Francisco burrito style,[56] and other foods such as tacos, quesadillas, chile con queso and tortilla soup. 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. To distinguish itself from some of its competitors, Qdoba serves breakfast, and some locations are open 24 hours on weekends.
According to en.wikipedia.org. Source of photos: internet
