Qdoba Is Opening 30 New Locations — Here's How the Chain Compares to Other Mexican Fast-Food

Qdoba, a highly customizable fast-casual Mexican menu that allows customers to choose their own meats and toppings for burritos, tacos, quesadillas, and other classic Mexican options, already has more than 750 locations across the U.S. — but it's poised for some more significant moves. 

Thanks to a new development agreement with Thrive Restaurant Group, 30 new Qdoba restaurants will open in North and South Carolina on an accelerated timeline. 

The new franchise partnership plans to "enter the Carolinas with boldness and speed," according to a July 10 press release. Qdoba is the latest chain to announce expansion plans in what is a trend in restaurant chains. 

More ready-to-eat food accessible in more locations sounds great, but rising dining costs can sometimes outpace wallets. There are ways to stretch your fast food budget so you can be sure to enjoy the new Qdoba locations as soon as they open.

See how the Mexican fast-casual food chain compares to dining options such as Chipotle.

Qdoba's new agreement will focus on opening new locations in North Carolina and South Carolina, targeting the regional areas of Greenville and Wilmington in NC, and Myrtle Beach, Columbia, and Greenville in SC. 

Menu prices vary by location, but based on the nearest restaurant locations the prices are likely to be similar to what's found in Virginia. Burrito bowls range around the $10 - $12 mark, with similar pricing for a traditional burrito. In fact, most of the taco and quesadilla options are also in that range, so it's very easy to keep the tab under $15 per meal.  

Chipotle has several locations in the Carolinas, and Qdoba may have to offer lower prices than what is seen in neighboring Virginia to be competitive. Chipotle's NC menu puts burrito bowls around the $10 - $11 range, with classic burritos roughly the same. 

This is consistent with other staples to the menu, such as the quesadillas and tacos. 

If you like Chipotle and Qdoba, then you're also going to like Moe's Southwest Grill which offers a similar build-your-own style. Their prices are also consistent with the $10 - $11 range in the Carolinas region, but are also known for giving out freebies on the regular - such as queso and chips. 

Burritobar isn't in the Carolinas yet, but the fast-casual dining chain has an aggressive strategy to enter the U.S. consumer markets. 

They plan to open 750 locations nationwide and have a Tex-Mex menu comparable to places like Chipotle or Qdoba. 

The chain restaurant began in Canada in 2015 and has since become one of the fastest-growing Mexican food franchises. If Americans love their food as much as Canadians, they may give further competition in the southern market in the near future. 

It's clear we all love to build your own taco-burrito-quesadilla-bowl, or there wouldn't be so many fast-casual dining chains from which to choose. 

Although the Carolinas do not currently offer Qdoba as an option, places like Chipotle and Moe's Southwest Grill fulfill Taco Tuesday's needs. 

Qdoba would ideally want locations those restaurants aren't servicing or areas on the edges of their delivery radius to reach customers who don't have a near-enough option.

The pricing of the various competing franchises is very similar in the region, so Qdoba could also offer lower prices and better special deals to pull business away from the local default. 

Those concerned about the affordability of dining out can look to some alternative ways to tackle the rising cost of groceries.