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FRANCHISE RESALES

Buy a QDOBA Mexican Eats Franchise

QDOBA Mexican Eats is a fast-casual Mexican restaurant brand headquartered in San Diego that has been franchising for more than 25 years. Its made-to-order menu spans burritos, bowls, tacos, quesadillas and salads, prepared in-house daily, with signature 3-cheese queso and hand-smashed guacamole included at no extra charge. QDOBA is part of Modern Restaurant Concepts, a portfolio company of the private-equity firm Butterfly Equity, which acquired the brand in 2024.

The brand runs an established network of roughly 800 restaurants across the US, Canada and Puerto Rico, ranking among the largest fast-casual Mexican chains in the country. Locations span both traditional storefronts and non-traditional venues such as airports, universities and military bases.

QDOBA’s flexible prototypes fit spaces from 500 to 2,000 square feet, with drive-thru and second-generation conversion options that let operators match varied real estate. Revenue is spread across dine-in, carryout, delivery, catering and a loyalty programme, supported by four dayparts.

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Why buy a QDOBA Mexican Eats Franchise?

Buying a QDOBA Mexican Eats franchise means stepping into one of the most recognised names in fast-casual Mexican dining, a category that has stayed resilient through shifting consumer spending. The made-to-order menu, customisable for vegan and allergy-conscious guests, supports repeat visits across breakfast, lunch, dinner and late-night dayparts.

Multiple revenue streams give owners more than one path to volume: dine-in, curbside, carryout, delivery and catering. Flexible 500-to-2,000-square-foot formats and second-generation conversion expertise widen site options, while backing from Modern Restaurant Concepts and Butterfly Equity provides corporate marketing, a loyalty platform and development support an independent restaurant would lack.

QDOBA Mexican Eats Franchise Costs & Information

Based on 2024 data reported in the 2025 FDD

  • Brand Profile

    • Year Founded

      1995

    • Franchising Since

      1997

    • New Startup Cost

      $548,100 – $1,294,000

    • Avg. Resale Price

      Contact us for details

  • Franchise Fees

    • Initial franchise Fee

      $20,000 – $40,000

      for new territories

    • Transfer Fee

      $5,000

    • Royalty Fee

      5%

      of Gross Sales

    • Marketing Fee

      4.50%

      of Gross Sales

  • Unit Performance

    • Total Units *

      827

    • New Units Opened *

      57

    • Units Transferred *

      11

    • Avg. Unit revenue *

      $1,697,254

    * Based on 2024 data reported in the 2025 FDD

QDOBA Mexican Eats – Additional  Information

  1. Training & Support

    QDOBA's structured training runs 178 to 360 hours, mostly on-the-job, plus 9 to 14 classroom hours, delivered through tiered programmes spanning restaurant, district, region and executive operations. Ongoing support covers management and crew training, operational systems and local marketing through a franchise marketing consultant, app-based ordering and the brand's loyalty programme, with development officers assigned to multi-unit operators. Resale buyers should confirm with QDOBA what transfer training and system access carry over to incoming ownership and existing staff.

  2. Ideal Owner

    QDOBA suits hands-on, operations-led owners comfortable running a staffed restaurant: managing crews, controlling food and labour costs, and holding service standards across busy dayparts. Prior quick-service or fast-casual experience helps, and the brand leans toward multi-unit operators with the capacity to scale across a territory. Owners who are process-driven, focused on guest experience and confident recruiting and retaining hourly staff tend to fit the model best.

  3. Recognition & Awards

    QDOBA has been voted USA TODAY 10Best's top fast-casual restaurant for six consecutive years (most recently 2024) and ranks annually in Entrepreneur's Franchise 500 and the QSR Top 50 (each five years running). It has appeared in the Franchise Times Top 400 (2024, 2023, 2022) and on Entrepreneur's Top Food Franchises, and earned 2025 Platinum awards for its loyalty and marketing programmes. For resale buyers, brand-level recognition should be weighed alongside the local reputation and reviews of the specific territory.

  4. Industry / Market

    US fast-casual is one of the fastest-growing restaurant segments: ResearchAndMarkets projects the US fast-casual market to expand by roughly USD 84.5 billion between 2024 and 2029, a CAGR near 13.7%. Mexican concepts remain a core driver, supported by demand for fresh, customisable and convenient meals. For resale buyers, that tailwind matters less than local factors: nearby competition, daypart traffic and the specific unit's catchment, which shape an individual restaurant's performance.

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