Mexican fast-casual brand honors Franchise Partner, General Manager and Operator of the Year at annual Brand Conference as it tracks toward doubling its U.S. footprint by 2032.
QDOBA, America’s rapidly growing #2 restaurant brand in the Mexican fast-casual category, presented awards in 50 categories and recognized three standout franchise partners at its annual Brand Conference:
- Winters Group — Franchise Partner of the Year
- Carmen Reyes-Ibarra, General Manager of Roaring Fork — General Manager of the Year
- Froccaro Group — Operator of the Year
With more than 825 restaurants across the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico, and nearly 600 new restaurants in development, these awards underscore how the brand’s tremendous growth is underpinned by a franchise-first model for operational excellence, guest experience and engagement and team leadership.
“QDOBA’s franchise partners are the hands and hearts behind the brand, growing alongside us and showing up for their teams and guests daily,” said Kevin Carroll, Chief Operating Officer. “We have a huge opportunity ahead of us to accelerate how guests discover QDOBA; and our franchise partners ensure that once they try us, they love us!”
ABOUT THE WINNERS
- Winters Group — Franchise Partner of the Year: Led by Franchisee Chris Winters and his team of Eric Renegar, Craig Gutierrez, Heather Heimbach and operating partners, Winters Group expanded from five to twenty-two restaurants, while maintaining best-in-class operations and consistently supporting new franchisee onboarding. Heather Heimbach earned Marketer of the Year for continued community engagement and philanthropy. The group also earned six additional awards, including for heavy investments in digital infrastructure to handle web/app and third-party orders more efficiently and elevate the digital guest experience.
- Carmen Reyes-Ibarra, General Manager of Roaring Fork — General Manager of the Year: Ranked in the top 1% of F’25 operational metrics across sales and transactions, training, food safety and more at her restaurant in Arlington Heights, IL, which is one of 62 restaurants for QDOBA’s second-largest franchisee. With more than a decade at QDOBA, Reyes-Ibarra rose from line service to leadership and is known for building a high-performing, guest-first culture.
- Froccaro Group — Operator of the Year: The family-owned group operates nine restaurants and is actively expanding into high-traffic locations around the New York metro area. The Froccaro brothers pioneered digital standard operating procedures that have since been adopted brand-wide and currently lead in loyalty mix with an average of 10,000+ active guests per restaurant.
FRANCHISE GROWTH STRATEGY
Franchise development is a core differentiator for QDOBA in the Mexican fast-casual category: more than 85 franchisees now operate about 80% of restaurants, and QDOBA is advancing toward 85% franchised within the next five years.
The brand recently signed a deal with Neil Patel and The Tattva Group, which also operates several well-known brands, including Dunkin’, Buffalo Wild Wings GO, Little Caesars and Jimmy John’s. The group acquired QDOBA locations in York and Lancaster, PA, and committed to building more in Harrisburg, PA, and Baltimore, MD.
Q: Why are franchisees investing in QDOBA? QDOBA offers portfolio diversification in Mexican fast-casual plus strong unit economics, a craveable menu with bold flavors and built-in value for guests including free guacamole and queso with any entrée.
Q: What markets are priorities for expansion? QDOBA sees significant white space across the U.S. and prioritizes high‑demand markets with strong multi‑unit operator interest, with near‑term emphasis on California, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Texas. QDOBA is targeting 100+ restaurant openings a year by 2027 and is on track to double its U.S. footprint by 2032.
Q: How does QDOBA support franchise operators? QDOBA provides comprehensive training and certification, hands-on field support, modern digital operating systems, loyalty programs, national media and data-driven insights to improve traffic, mix and margins.
For more information and to find the location nearest to you, please visit QDOBA.com.
About QDOBA Mexican Eats
QDOBA is a fast-casual Mexican restaurant with 825 locations in 45 states across the U.S., as well as in Canada, Puerto Rico, Japan and South Korea. Committed to bringing flavor to people’s lives, QDOBA prepares fresh ingredients by hand in-house throughout the day and flame-grills its chicken and steak to create a variety of bold, flavorful menu options. Guests can experience QDOBA’s delicious offerings by customizing their own burritos, bowls, tacos, quesadillas, nachos and salads to suit their personal tastes and cravings. Premium toppings can always be added to entrées at no extra charge, including signature 3-cheese queso and hand-crafted guacamole.
For seven consecutive years, QDOBA has ranked among the top fast-casual restaurants in the USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards – including six years at #1. QDOBA was also recently named one of Yelp’s Most Loved Airport Brands, a distinction based on extensive analysis of ratings and reviews from travelers.
Discover more at QDOBA.com or on the QDOBA app, which is available for download on the iTunes App Store or Google Play. Fans can also connect with QDOBA on Instagram, Facebook, X and TikTok.
