The Qdoba folks were in Atlanta recently, scouting out locations and partners with which to sell burritos.
Todd Owen, vice president of franchise development for Qdoba, told the AJC that Atlanta is "under-penetrated" for the chain compared to other large metro areas.
"Atlanta is one of the markets we have a high priority for," said Owen. "We feel we can compete very effectively. As long as the pie's big enough, I just want to get my unfair share."
But it's been a slow go for Qdoba in Atlanta, saturated as it is with burrito places. Qdoba, which started in Denver in 1995, has only three locations around Atlanta, where competitors include Chipotle, Willy's and Moe's, which has 67 restaurants here.
Qdoba had three restaurants in Atlanta last year at this time, when the company discussed expansion plans in similar terms.
With about 515 restaurants, Qdoba is the country's second-largest fast casual Mexican chain behind Chipotle, which is about twice as large by number of locations.
Qdoba will open about 40 restaurants around the country this year, Owen said. He visited Atlanta to meet with existing franchisees and make contact with potential new ones. He also scouted real estate, although he declined to say how many new stores the company wants to open here.
"I was very pleased," Owen said.
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