Qdoba Featured in Denver Business Journal

In December of 2009, Qdoba was featured in an article in the Denver Business Journal, entitled, “Food for Thought: Restaurant Franchisors Change.” The article dove into several successful brands based in Denver that have unique strategies and are continuing to grow despite the economic climate. The article was built from an in-depth interview between Ed Sealover and Todd Owen. The section of the article featuring Qdoba showcases Qdoba’s multi-unit/multi-brand growth strategy and emphasizes how this strategy has allowed the brand to continue growing. Below is a sample of the article along with a link to the article in its entirety.

Food for thought: Restaurant franchisors change
By Ed Sealover

Qdoba: Choosier about franchisees

After Qdoba Mexican Grill opened its 500th location in August, Todd Owen, vice president of franchise development for the Wheat Ridge chain, lauded the food, employees and customer service.

But Owen also emphasized that Qdoba couldn’t have grown as much or as quickly without changing its emphasis to choosing only experienced, high-net-worth investors willing to open multiple locations.

This multi-unit/multi-brand model ensures that franchisees have the capital to open and operate locations at a time when banks have tightened lending, and that they can penetrate a market, generating more exposure for the chain, Owen said.

“The strategy behind our belief in how you build the brand is it’s essential to get penetration,” he said. “If we had awarded a franchise to anybody with a check and a pulse, to what detriment would that have been in terms of our goal to double our expansion?”

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