Qdoba Mexican Grill franchise research

Investment by format

Format-specific estimates only. Do not combine one format's minimum with another format's maximum.

Investment sourceFDD p.24 ↗

Franchise fees and ongoing costs

Franchise fee

$20,000 to $40,000 · Extracted Item 5 scalar range, not a universal minimum or maximum; formats, eligibility, discounts and waivers require original-filing review.

Royalty

5% · 5% of gross sales, payable weekly (6% at non-traditional sites; lower negotiated rates in unusual situations)

Marketing contribution

4.5% (basis not captured; see original filing)

Technology fee

IT Support Services: $250/restaurant per 13-period cycle (~monthly) plus 0.21% of weekly gross sales; plus one-time Technology Support License & Installation ($199) and Project Management/Database Configuration ($2,250) at opening

Other fees

IT Base Services $6,300-$18,600/restaurant/year; Learning Management System Fee $24-$40/restaurant/month; Q-Cash Card program fee $7.75/month

Working capital (FDD Item 7)

$25,000 to $150,000, the minimum recommended for a three-month contingency, depending on time needed to reach cash flow break-even

Fees sourceFDD p.17 ↗

Working capital is drawn from Item 7. The Investment source below locates the investment section, not an independently verified working-capital scalar.

Investment sourceFDD p.24 ↗

Franchise fee sourceFDD · page not captured ↗

Financial performance: Item 19

Item 19 captured

Yes

Metric / basis

Average/median/quartile net restaurant sales; same-store sales growth; average Proforma Franchisee EBITDA and Franchise EBITDA pre-fees

Reporting period

FY2023-FY2025 (system sales growth); TTM ended September 28, 2025 (net sales quartiles); various TTM periods ended Jan-Sept 2025 (cost/EBITDA data)

Sample

390 franchised restaurants (3-yr growth, Chart 1); 464 franchised restaurants (net sales quartiles, Chart 2); 397 franchised restaurants (sales/cost/EBITDA, Chart 3)

Reported average

$1,697,254

Reported median

$1,596,761

Owner income is not captured. Gross sales and EBITDA are not owner pay. Results depend on the disclosed metric, sample and period; consult the full filing.

Item 19 performance sourceFDD p.60 ↗

Unit growth: Item 20

Reporting year

2025 (fiscal year ended September 28, 2025)

Scope

franchised outlets

Starting outlets

613

Year-end outlets

652

Net change

+39

Derivation

ending minus starting outlets

Openings

57

Terminations

0

Non-renewals

1

Other closures

9

Reacquisitions

8

Transfers

11

Transfers are not closures. Net change is ending minus starting outlets for the stated scope and year, or complete openings less terminations, non-renewals, other closures and reacquisitions. Missing inputs stay unknown.

Unit growth sourceFDD p.63 ↗

SBA loan history

Loan activity

0 approvals

Activity window

FY2021-FY2026 YTD; snapshot 2026-06-30

Median SBA loan

Not captured

Median loan window

Not captured

Median loan sample

Not captured

Historical charge-off share

5.00%

Cohort

7(a) FY2010-2019 approvals

Numerator / denominator

1 / 20

Formula

CHGOFF / (PIF + CHGOFF + EXEMPT) × 100

This is a historical loan-level share, not a franchise failure probability or location survival rate. Loan size is not total investment. Other loan statuses are excluded from the seasoned denominator. Activity combines 7(a) and 504 approvals, excluding canceled and not-funded records; this is not a rolling five-year count. FY2024-25 franchise tags are sparse after directory suspension; fewer tagged loans do not establish brand decline. Recent charge-off cohorts are immature.

SBA loans sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗

Questions before you invest

How much does Qdoba Mexican Grill franchise cost?

Traditional: $548,100 to $1,294,000; Non-Traditional: $234,500 to $898,000; Development Agreement (1 Traditional Restaurant): $549,100 to $1,299,000 These are format-specific estimates, not a guaranteed cash requirement. Franchise fee: $20,000 to $40,000 · Extracted Item 5 scalar range, not a universal minimum or maximum; formats, eligibility, discounts and waivers require original-filing review..

Investment sourceFDD p.24 ↗

Franchise fee sourceFDD · page not captured ↗

How much do Qdoba Mexican Grill owners make?

Owner income is not captured. Gross sales and EBITDA are not owner pay. Item 19 metric: Average/median/quartile net restaurant sales; same-store sales growth; average Proforma Franchisee EBITDA and Franchise EBITDA pre-fees. Sample: 390 franchised restaurants (3-yr growth, Chart 1); 464 franchised restaurants (net sales quartiles, Chart 2); 397 franchised restaurants (sales/cost/EBITDA, Chart 3). Period: FY2023-FY2025 (system sales growth); TTM ended September 28, 2025 (net sales quartiles); various TTM periods ended Jan-Sept 2025 (cost/EBITDA data).

Item 19 performance sourceFDD p.60 ↗

What's the SBA charge-off rate for Qdoba Mexican Grill?

5.00%; numerator / denominator: 1 / 20. Historical 7(a) FY2010-2019 approvals; CHGOFF / (PIF + CHGOFF + EXEMPT) × 100, snapshot 2026-06-30. This is not a franchise failure probability.

SBA loans sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗