Tampa Tribune:
Tampa’s franchise burrito business is getting stuffed like a bulging tortilla.
Into the void left by sit-down joints that went belly up, the fast-made burrito is beginning to reign. Already, Tampa has four Chipotles, roughly eight Tijuana Flats nearby, a half-dozen Moe’s Southwest Grills, not to mention a few dozen Taco Bells.
That doesn’t count any local burrito joints, of which there are many.
Now add three more Qdoba Mexican Grill locations opened recently, and six more in the next year or so.
“A lot of people are taxed for time and money lately, and this concept gives them something fresh, engaging and quick,” said Wade Gosnell, a Qdoba franchisee opening up Qdoba locations across Florida. (“Qdoba” is a made-up word with no official meaning in Spanish; pronounced “cue-DOH-bah.”)
Even among the relatively healthy fast-casual restaurant segment, Mexican concepts grew better than most, with 11.9 percent expansion last year, according to food service consultant Technomic.
Photo: Katy Kuehner.