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By TYLER RALEY | Staff Writer

Residents in Shelby County can begin to set their sights towards a potential new casual Mexican franchise that is expanding quickly into the surrounding Birmingham area.

QDOBA Mexican Eats has made plans under its new holder QSR LLC to expand into Shelby County to open new locations in Alabaster and along U.S. Highway 280.

The franchise made a return into the Birmingham area in 2024, but is now planning to expand into areas around Alabama’s central city, attempting to continue its growth in popularity.

According to QSR Chief Executive Officer Chandar Arora, the desire to expand in the Birmingham metropolitan area felt like an easy choice based on the company’s values and QDOBA’s rising presence among younger generations.

“Birmingham and Huntsville are the two metropolitan towns that we can say that three or four locations can sustain,” Arora said. “Each unit advertises to the other areas. It helps foster the business—like people who work in downtown, they don’t live there mostly. They live in Hoover or they live in Trussville or they live on the 280 area. So if they want to come for a visit with their families, if there was a unit available close to them, then they will go there. That will increase our business, and of course the presence, the numbers kind of reflect that we are stable, we are popular, we are there.”

Instead of following the method of dispersing the locations throughout the state, Arora said establishing growth in a major city could prove to be sustainable and would help appeal to those from nearby areas to eat at QDOBA locations.

“We’re not just going to put one here and one in Mobile and one in Montgomery and one in Huntsville,” Arora said. “We would rather impact one certain demographic which is, in this case, we are going to put one in downtown, one in Hoover, one in Trussville, one on 280, one in Alabaster.”

While neither the Alabaster or Hwy 280 locations are set in stone on where they will be, the addition is planned to be a popular commodity in the area, providing competition to Chipotle and Moe’s Southwest Grill.

Arora said that while the franchise was not becoming a big brand years ago, those who have taken over the business have put great care into the product they are producing.

“In the last few years, QDOBA has come on very big in this Mexican QSR category because there is not major competition here. The only one big player is Chipotle.” Arora said. “The private equity firm that has taken over this business or is running this new team is very committed to QDOBA’s brand.”

QDOBA was founded in 1995 under the name Zuma Fresh Mexican Grill in Denver, Colorado, and its headquarters is currently located in San Diego, California. It advertises its food as being freshly made with quality ingredients, being prepared each day in the kitchen.

The franchise currently holds 793 locations in the United States alone, with others in Canada, Japan and Puerto Rico.

Customers can choose from a variety of menu items, to create their own bowl, burrito, quesadilla, nachos, salad or tacos. The menu also has signature burritos, bowls, tacos and quesadillas to choose from as well. In addition, sides like chips with queso, guacamole or salsa are offered as well as sides like a miniature bowl or taco. Desserts include the chocolate chunk cookie and the chocolate brownie.

More updates will be posted at Shelbycountyreporter.com.