Franchise Facts Report → compare → Qdoba | Qdoba Mexican Eats vs Del Taco
Qdoba | Qdoba Mexican Eats vs Del Taco
Two quick-service restaurant franchises, compared on the numbers their own Franchise Disclosure Documents put on record — investment, fees, Item 19 earnings, outlet churn, and litigation. Not marketing copy.
| Qdoba | Qdoba Mexican Eats | Del Taco | |
|---|---|---|
| Total initial investment FDD Item 7 | $476,800 – $1,096,700 | $2,625,400 – $6,175,000 |
| Initial franchise fee FDD Item 5 | $30,000 | $35,000 |
| Royalty FDD Item 6 | 5% | 5% |
| Item 19 earnings disclosed FDD Item 19 | Yes | Yes |
| Avg unit revenue (headline) FDD Item 19 | $1,303,054 | $1,745,657 |
| Franchised outlets FDD Item 20 | 447 | 421 |
| Net outlet change (latest yr) FDD Item 20 | +41 | +120 |
| Closure rate FDD Item 20 | 3.2% | — |
| Franchisee lawsuits FDD Item 3 | disclosed | disclosed |
| Risk level our read | Medium | Medium |
| FDD year registration | 2023 | 2024 |
Are Qdoba | Qdoba Mexican Eats and Del Taco the same company?
No — Qdoba | Qdoba Mexican Eats and Del Taco are franchised by separate companies. Qdoba | Qdoba Mexican Eats's franchisor is Qdoba Restaurant Corporation; Del Taco's is DEL TACO LLC. Each registers and files its own Franchise Disclosure Document, and you would be signing with a different entity depending on which you chose. Note that a registry filing names the franchisor, not necessarily its ultimate parent — two brands owned by the same parent company can still have separate franchisors.
Cost to open
Qdoba | Qdoba Mexican Eats is the cheaper franchise to open: its FDD Item 7 puts the total initial investment at $476,800 – $1,096,700, against $2,625,400 – $6,175,000 for Del Taco.
How much does each make? (Item 19)
Both franchisors make an Item 19 financial performance representation. On the headline average unit revenue each discloses, Del Taco reports the higher figure ($1,745,657 vs $1,303,054). Revenue is not profit — the full report breaks out what each brand actually represents.
Closures & failure rate
Qdoba | Qdoba Mexican Eats reports 447 franchised outlets, net change +41 in the latest reported year, a 3.2% closure rate (FDD Item 20). Del Taco reports 421 franchised outlets, net change +120 in the latest reported year (FDD Item 20). Outlet churn — closures, terminations, non-renewals — is the closest thing an FDD has to a failure rate; the full report puts both brands' churn against quick-service restaurant medians.
Litigation
Qdoba | Qdoba Mexican Eats discloses litigation in FDD Item 3 (case detail in the full report). Del Taco discloses litigation in FDD Item 3 (case detail in the full report).
This page is the headline numbers. The Deep report compares up to three brands on the complete FDD record — every fee line, the actual Item 19 figures and what they represent, each lawsuit, and churn benchmarked against quick-service restaurant peers.
Only looking at one of them?
Qdoba | Qdoba Mexican Eats vs Del Taco — frequently asked
Are Qdoba | Qdoba Mexican Eats and Del Taco the same company?
No — Qdoba | Qdoba Mexican Eats and Del Taco are franchised by separate companies. Qdoba | Qdoba Mexican Eats's franchisor is Qdoba Restaurant Corporation; Del Taco's is DEL TACO LLC. Each registers and files its own Franchise Disclosure Document, and you would be signing with a different entity depending on which you chose. Note that a registry filing names the franchisor, not necessarily its ultimate parent — two brands owned by the same parent company can still have separate franchisors.
What is the difference between Qdoba | Qdoba Mexican Eats and Del Taco?
Qdoba | Qdoba Mexican Eats and Del Taco are quick-service restaurant franchises from different franchisors (Qdoba Restaurant Corporation and DEL TACO LLC). Qdoba | Qdoba Mexican Eats is the cheaper franchise to open: its FDD Item 7 puts the total initial investment at $476,800 – $1,096,700, against $2,625,400 – $6,175,000 for Del Taco. Both franchisors make an Item 19 financial performance representation. On the headline average unit revenue each discloses, Del Taco reports the higher figure ($1,745,657 vs $1,303,054). Revenue is not profit — the full report breaks out what each brand actually represents.
Is Qdoba | Qdoba Mexican Eats more profitable than Del Taco?
Both franchisors make an Item 19 financial performance representation. On the headline average unit revenue each discloses, Del Taco reports the higher figure ($1,745,657 vs $1,303,054). Revenue is not profit — the full report breaks out what each brand actually represents.
Which is cheaper to open — Qdoba | Qdoba Mexican Eats or Del Taco?
Qdoba | Qdoba Mexican Eats is the cheaper franchise to open: its FDD Item 7 puts the total initial investment at $476,800 – $1,096,700, against $2,625,400 – $6,175,000 for Del Taco.
Is Qdoba | Qdoba Mexican Eats or Del Taco growing faster?
Qdoba | Qdoba Mexican Eats reports 447 franchised outlets, net change +41 in the latest reported year, a 3.2% closure rate (FDD Item 20). Del Taco reports 421 franchised outlets, net change +120 in the latest reported year (FDD Item 20).
Go deeper on each brand
Quick-service restaurant rankings
Figures are as disclosed in each brand's most recent registered FDD (Qdoba | Qdoba Mexican Eats 2023, Del Taco 2024). “—” means the FDD does not disclose it or the table did not parse cleanly — never an estimate.