Fast-casual restaurant chain Qdoba Mexican Grill is seeking to enter the Wichita market, an executive with the company says.
Todd Owen, vice president of franchise development for Qdoba, says the Wheat Ridge, Colo.-based company is seeking a franchisee to open three or four stores in the Wichita area. The company also would like a presence in Manhattan, he says.
“We’re targeting Kansas for expansion because we have very healthy developments in every state surrounding Kansas,†Owen says.The company has 475 stores nationally, about three quarters of them franchises. But Qdoba has just one store in Kansas, located in Topeka.
The chain, which competes with Chipotle Mexican Grill, opened 77 stores in 2008 and has plans for an additional 60 to 80 this year. Owen says the company’s total franchise fee is expected to be $550,000.