A battle of the burritos will be joined by another national player on Newark’s Main Street.
The Newark Post reports Qdoba will open a restaurant next spring in a new building going up on Main. The mixed-use project was the former home of the Delaware Book Exchange.
Qdoba will join locally owned El Diablo, California Tortilla, Chipotle, and the the earliest entrant Santa Fe.
The “fast casual” spots feature a walk-up counter with burritos, tacos, bowls and other fare.
Santa Fe, after operating a walk-up counter for a few years, converted that area to part of its original restaurant-bar.
Qdoba has three other locations in Delaware in downtown Wilmington, Dover and north Wilmington.
Qdoba, which has 640 restaurants in all, features a wider selection of options including quesadillas and smothered burritos. By contrast, Chipotle has 1,600 locations and a smaller menu. Locally owned El Diablo has three locations and California Tortilla has more than 40.
The entry of Chipotle several years ago was closely watched in Wilmington as the chain, known for owning its own restaurants, struggled with various issues. Since opening, lines have been long at various times of the day.
Another national player, Moe’s Southwest Grill, has not entered the Main Street fray. Moe’s has locations west of Wilmington, in north Wilmington and in Bear.
Most, if no all, of the burrito-taco spots on Main Street have attracted large crowds at lunch time, with a heavy representation from University of Delaware students and staff.
The segment of the restaurant industry has been grow fast in the restaurant industry, aided by healthy profit margins.
That has allowed Chipotle to tout its use of ingredients from small farms and ranches that come at a higher cost. The company made headlines after taking pork “carnitas” off its menu because it could not find a supplier that met its standards.
