Chipotle and Qdoba are two of the most competitive Mexican food chains. Both of them specialize in tacos and burritos and their first restaurants were in Denver, Colorado. Chipotle has been known for its “food with integrity” campaign for years. They advertise their products as handmade and sourced from high-quality ingredients. Its most current slogan is “For Real” with the tagline: On the other hand. Qdoba is another restaurant in the Mexican food chain and has always been compared to Chipotle.  Qdoba’s tagline is: “What are you going to love at Qdoba?” which points out the variety of options offered to customers’ tastes as evidenced by their customizable flavors.

Difference between Chipotle and Qdoba

Guacamole

In Qdoba, customers do not need to pay for extra guacamole; hence, it is usually viewed as affordable. However, at Chipotle, customers need to pay $1.80 for extra guacamole. Interestingly, some claim that they do not mind paying extra as Chipotle’s guac is indeed fresh and tasty.

Cheese

As compared to Chipotle’s cheese, Qdoba’s queso is usually more favored by cheese lovers as it has more servings and flavors. 

GMO-FREE

As compared to Qdoba, Chipotle is more assertive in its campaign towards GMO-free and fresh ingredients. In 2015, they claimed to be the first nationwide restaurant to serve completely GMO-free products as unlike other companies, they did not use GMO corn and beans.

Variety of Menu

Qdoba is more open to variations as evidenced by its tagline, “What are you going to love at Qdoba”. On the other hand, Chipotle is more focused on improving its selected menu.

Locations

Chipotle has 2,500 locations internationally; aside from the US, it also has branches in Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. In comparison, Qdoba has less than 729 locations which are found in the US and Canada.