Latest visit: Apr 2022 (Monument, CO)
First visit: 1997 (Denver - as Z-Teca)
As with Chipotle, I go way back with Qdoba, yet another Denver based burrito chain. They started as Zuroma then changed their name to Z-Teca in 1997, followed by Qdoba in 1999 (all due to legal reasons). In the 90s "the big 3" of burrito were Chipotle, Qdoba and Baja Fresh. The first 2 had a major burger chain that became it's primary owner, in order: McDonald's and Jack in the Box, whereas the latter stayed with private equity. Of these 3, Baja Fresh fell on harder times, while the other 2 thrived. For my tastes, I liked all 3 but Qdoba was my favorite primarily due to their spiced ground beef option, something the others didn't bother with. They also feature a very hot salsa similar to Chipotle.
Times have changed, and Jack in the Box is out of the picture. What should be seen as a positive outcome, Qdoba has gone downhill. The flavors have changed. Sometimes I think it's just me, but then my latest venture to Chipotle has proven that is not the case. Qdoba has simply gotten blander. I've tried them many times since moving back to Colorado, but it's just not the same. They were very scarce in our former homestead of Fort Worth, us having to drive to Camp Bowie which we did at least once. They finally opened in our area (Southlake), only to close shortly thereafter (2012 time frame). I used to crave those ground beef burritos with the habanero. But it appears those days are gone. Our location in Monument is nice enough (though it still has pandemic spacing? Seriously?). But it doesn't matter, as I won't be back for some time. Too many tries without a different result.
According to Wikipedia, in 2018 Qboda existed in 47 states. As with a lot of these annoying chains, they only offer a "location finder" with results for the local area. So I have no idea where they stand today, but I'm sure diminished from prior.
8/3/12; 3/6/20; 3/21/21; 4/10/22 (new entry)
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