Qdoba
Qdoba franchises operate high-quality, Mexican-themed quick-service or fast-casual restaurants where guests customize burritos, bowls, tacos, salads, quesadillas, nachos, chips, dips like queso and guacamole, and drinks using fresh, in-house prepared ingredients. The business model grants franchises or development rights to use Qdoba's trademarks, proprietary system, operational standards, manuals, training, and marketing programs for operating restaurants in approved locations, primarily strip centers or freestanding buildings. Target market includes urban and suburban consumers seeking value-priced, personalized Mexican meals, competing with other fast-casual and quick-service chains.
Franchise Costs
5% royalty + 4.5% marketing fee + $800-$1,900/mo technology/support fees (IT base, IT support, LMS, Q-Cash)
Financial Performance
Item 19 Financial Performance
Data Based On: 397 franchised restaurants reporting financial information for a trailing twelve-month period (used for P&L data and EBITDA), with additional revenue quartile data from 464 franchised restaurants (used for median and quartile revenues).
* Average gross profit calculated as Average Net Restaurant Sales ($1,661,277) minus Average Cost of Sales ($458,997). EBITDA margin calculated as Average Proforma Franchisee EBITDA ($254,430) divided by Average Net Restaurant Sales ($1,661,277). Revenue quartiles are derived from Chart 2 ('Franchised Restaurant Quartiles') based on 464 units. All other financial metrics (Average Gross Revenue, Average Gross Profit, Average EBITDA, and estimated profit range) are based on Chart 3 ('Historical Average Sales, Selected Costs and Operating Results') for 397 franchised restaurants.
Extracted Item 19 Section
How Qdoba Compares
Key Insights
- Top 10 largest franchise system in Fast Casual
- Lower than average SBA loan default rate in Fast Casual
| Franchise | Investment | Fee | Royalty | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Qdoba Current | $548K – $1.3M | $40K | 5.0% | 652 |
| Tropical Smoothie Cafe | $300K – $721K | $35K | 6.0% | 1,371 |
| TROPICAL SMOOTHIE CAFÉ | $300K – $721K | $35K | 6.0% | 1,371 |
| FIREHOUSE SUBS RESTAURANTS (UNIT) | $379K – $1.4M | $20K | 6.0% | 1,248 |
| Zaxby's | $1.4M – $3.8M | $35K | 6.0% | 826 |
| CHICK-FIL-A License Program | $586K – $3.3M | N/A | 10.0% | 412 |
Fast Casual Average 107 franchises | $532K – $1.2M | $39K | 5.6% | – |
* Comparison based on latest FDD filings. Investment ranges from Item 7, fees from Item 5. Showing top 5 of 107 Fast Casual franchises by location count.
SBA Loan History
Historical SBA 7(a) loan data for Qdoba franchisees (2010 – 2025)
Loans by Year
SBA 7(a) loan activity over time
* Data sourced from SBA 7(a) FOIA loan records. Default rate calculated from charged-off loans.
Franchisee Contacts
571 franchisee contacts on file from official FDD filings.
| Name | SBA Loan |
|---|---|
John Smith ABC Franchise LLC | $350,000 2023 · Active |
John Smith ABC Franchise LLC | $350,000 2023 · Active |
John Smith ABC Franchise LLC | $350,000 2023 · Active |
John Smith ABC Franchise LLC | $350,000 2023 · Active |
John Smith ABC Franchise LLC | $350,000 2023 · Active |
571 Contacts Available
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Due Diligence
Litigation (Item 3)
Two cases: one involving a franchisee's claims of wrongful termination, breach of contract, and fraud (settled 2023); the other by former franchisees alleging breach and wrongful termination (settled post-discovery).
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
System Health (Item 20)
Franchise system changes reported in the most recent fiscal year
Frequently Asked Questions
The total initial investment to open a Qdoba franchise ranges from $548,100 to $1,294,000. This includes a franchise fee of $40,000. Ongoing royalty fees are 5.0% of gross sales.
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