In previous posts I’ve written about my fierce obsession loyalty to Chipotle. I could seriously eat Chipotle everyday and never get tired of it, maybe not so much, I once said the same thing about my favorite pizza place, until I worked there for a summer, by the end I would gag at the thought of eating pizza there.
So yea, I really like Chipotle. Then there is Qdoba which is sort of a Chipotle spin-off. I once read that it was founded by some Chipotle ex-employees, I don’t know if that’s true or not. Anyways, each restaurant has its own crowd, some say Chipotle is better others say Qdoba is. I couldn’t think of anything better than Chipotle so we went to Qdoba last weekend to give it a try (sorry Chipotle, I had to).
Round 1 – First impression: I like the atmosphere at a Chipotle better, it has more coolness to it. The menu at Qdoba is too franchise-like, a lot of options, I think part of Chipotle’s success is its simple menu, two, three things and that’s it, do those things the best you can, boom!, everyone loves it.
Round 2 – Ordering: the guys at Qdoba were absolutely not happy to be there, they had the attitude of a kid being forced to tend the family business. The burrito assembly was disappointing, all the ingredients were just dumped in the very center of the tortilla, basically most of the time I was just eating rice and then all the sudden a big mix of all ingredients together. Burritos at Chipotle are prepared with more care, ingredients are evenly distributed, so you get a little bit of everything in every bite.
Round 3 – Flavor: Bland. Both Carolyn and I said it at the same time, yes, Chipotle has way more flavor and Chipotle’s chips are better too.
Round 4 – Qdoba Positives: Qdoba’s salsa verde is really good, it just like real mexican salsa verde. I was also impressed that Qdoba keeps their chips in a warmer, nice touch (yea Chipotle, what’s up with that?)
Final (and most important) Round – Guacamole…The Golden Boy, The Big Kahuna, The Promised One (you know what I’m trying to say): Absolutely Nothing compares to Chipotle’s Guac and I have to admit Qdoba’s it just as good, too bad their chips are not as good.
And the winner is… I think I’m sticking with Chipotle for the time being, nice try Qdoba but not good enough and like Ricky Bobby’s dad said: “If you are not first, you are last”
