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Qdoba franchisees are banding together to protect the $250 million they have invested in the Mexican food brand by forming the Qdoba Franchisee Association. Franchisees from the Qdoba Brand Advisory Council made the announcement in late June. Officials say the new independent organization will “serve the franchisee community by focusing on mutually beneficial solutions to protect and enhance the Qdoba Mexican Eats brand now and into the future.”
The Qdoba Franchisee Association will be governed by a five-person board of directors, including Chairman Ron Stokes, Vice Chairman Michael Scott, Secretary/Treasurer Stan Kramer, Randy Key, and Will Charbonnet Jr. Qdoba franchisees own and operate 340 of the brand’s 717 restaurants in the U.S. and Canada.
Stokes explained to franchisees on a call that the Qdoba franchisee community aims to be a leader in the fast-casual segment by providing the highest-quality food with passionate service that provides for a unique dining occasion whether that is dine-in, carryout, delivery or catering. He said they look to provide franchisee leadership and have a voice in continuing to grow the Qdoba brand in all aspects of the business from marketing and operations to technology and development. The association will primarily focus on advocacy with the franchisor; facilitating education and best practice sharing amongst the franchisee community; and providing access to group insurance plans and other back-office solutions for its members.
“With the uncertainty surrounding the future ownership of the Qdoba brand, we felt this was the appropriate time to unite the franchisee community with an independent voice to protect the $250 million collective investment franchisees have made in the Qdoba brand,” said Stokes. “The franchisee community feels positive regarding recent leadership changes and additions at the brand level and hopes to see that leadership team allowed to continue to make positive strides in advancing the top-line momentum we are seeing and key brand initiatives.”
The Qdoba Franchisee Association has hired attorney W. Michael Garner of Garner & Ginsburg, P.A. to serve as the association’s legal counsel and Elevanta, LLC to manage the day-to-day operations of the association.