Qdoba Franchise Cost 2026: $548K-$1.29M, $40K Fee, 5% Royalty

Qdoba publishes a franchise fee, a royalty, a marketing fee, two format ranges and a city-level territory map. The problem is that its own pages, and its Franchise Disclosure Document, do not agree with each other on several of those figures.

That matters because a buyer starting from the website can come away with the wrong investment range, the wrong local-marketing requirement, and the wrong answer to the first question anyone asks: can I open just one?

Three Qdoba sources, three sets of numbers

The table compares Qdoba’s FDD with its What It Takes page and franchising FAQ, both checked October 14, 2026.

Item	FDD, December 9, 2025	What It Takes page (October 14, 2026)	FAQ page (October 14, 2026)
Traditional total investment	$548,100 to $1,294,000 (franchise agreement); $549,100 to $1,299,000 (development agreement, one restaurant); $545,500 to $1,294,000 stated per restaurant before the separate $40,000 deduction in Item 7 note 15, inconsistent with the franchise-agreement chart	$249,100 to $1,299,000	$545,500 to $1,294,000 in the answer; $548,100 to $1,294,000 in its detailed investment table
Non-traditional total investment	$234,500 to $898,000	$234,500 to $898,000	$236,500 to $939,000
Initial franchise fee	$40,000 traditional; $20,000 non-traditional	$40,000 traditional; $20,000 non-traditional	$40,000 in the traditional investment table
Marketing fee	Currently 4.5% of gross sales for franchisees; 1.75% for licensees	4.5% traditional; 1.75% non-traditional	4.5% of gross sales; described as negotiable and varying for nontraditional locations
Royalty	5% (6% at non-traditional sites)	5% traditional, 6% non-traditional	Not stated
Ongoing local marketing	Currently no specific local advertising spending requirement	Local marketing spend 1.25%	Not stated
Minimum units	Single-unit franchise under the standard agreement; a developer commits to at least one restaurant	Minimum of two franchise restaurants	Financial tiers for a new franchise and for three or more cafes; no minimum stated

When a brand's pages and FDD disagree, check these clauses

Our free agreement red-flags checklist covers the fee, term, territory and transfer clauses to confirm in writing. Plus the due-diligence kit.

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The FDD is the document with legal weight, so where the pages differ from it, treat the FDD as the governing figure and ask Qdoba to explain the difference in writing. The What It Takes page’s $1,299,000 upper bound matches the FDD’s development-agreement total, and its non-traditional range matches the FDD. Its traditional low end of $249,100 matches no figure in the FDD. The FAQ’s $545,500 to $1,294,000 matches the FDD’s per-restaurant figure under a development agreement (Item 7 note 15), not the $548,100 franchise-agreement low end. The FAQ’s detailed investment table separately gives $548,100 to $1,294,000.

Item 7 note 15 states $545,500 to $1,294,000 as the initial estimated cost for each restaurant developed under a development agreement, before describing a $40,000 reduction because the franchise fee is accounted for separately in the development-agreement table. That stated range is not the franchise-agreement range minus the fee: $548,100 minus $40,000 is $508,100, and $1,294,000 minus $40,000 is $1,254,000. Note 16 says to use the traditional table’s low and high estimates minus $40,000. The development table separately lists the $10,000 development fee, the remaining $30,000 franchise fee and $1,000 to $5,000 for business-plan preparation/professional fees. The investment estimates exclude real property and liquor license costs. Note 15’s low end remains inconsistent with the traditional table; ask Qdoba to reconcile it in writing.

Can you open just one?

The FDD’s Item 1 describes a “Single-Unit Franchise” under Qdoba’s standard franchise agreement, and separately says a developer signing an area development agreement must open at least one restaurant. The What It Takes page tells prospects that Qdoba is looking for people committed to opening a minimum of two franchise restaurants.

Qdoba’s FAQ lists a financial tier for someone opening a new franchise ($350,000 liquid, $1,000,000 net worth) and a separate tier for three or more cafes.

Investment, split by format

Qdoba’s FDD states two separate total investment ranges rather than one blended figure. A traditional restaurant runs $548,100 to $1,294,000 including the $40,000 franchise fee, and excludes real property and liquor license costs. A non-traditional restaurant runs $234,500 to $898,000 including a $20,000 fee, with the same exclusions.

Splitting the formats matters because a single figure spanning both would describe nothing anyone can actually buy. A reader who saw one “$234,500 to $1,294,000” figure would reasonably plan for the bottom of it and be planning a non-traditional site without knowing.

Qdoba’s flexible buildouts page describes non-traditional spaces such as airports and college campuses, and lists travel plazas, malls and casinos, military installations and government agencies alongside them. The FDD’s fee tables treat these sites differently: a $20,000 fee, a 6 percent royalty, and a 1.75 percent marketing fee for licensees, and the FDD says Qdoba does not require licensees at non-traditional locations to conduct local advertising. Our Item 7 guide covers what an investment range actually includes.

Royalty, marketing fee and the veterans discount

Qdoba’s FDD Item 6 states a royalty of 5 percent of gross sales, payable weekly, and 6 percent at non-traditional sites, with lower rates set in unusual situations. The What It Takes page states the same 5 percent and 6 percent, so the royalty is one figure on which Qdoba’s documents agree. Our Item 6 guide explains how royalty and other recurring fees are defined.

The marketing fee is currently 4.5 percent of gross sales for franchisees and 1.75 percent for licensees, per the FDD. Qdoba’s FAQ describes the fee as negotiable and says it varies for nontraditional locations, and the FDD adds that Qdoba may propose to raise it up to 6 percent, with increases or decreases requiring approval by majority vote.

See how VetFran works, including its membership requirements and star tiers.

On veterans: the What It Takes page says Qdoba is a proud member of VetFran and invites veterans to contact it about reduced fees, and the FDD states a $10,000 reduction of the initial franchise fee for a franchisee who documents an honorable discharge.

Term, renewal and outlet counts

Item 17 describes a traditional franchise term of typically ten years, potentially shorter if the property cannot be secured for ten years. Renewal requires no default, notice, remodeling, a new agreement and release, a fee and continued possession of the premises. The new agreement may have materially different terms. For a non-traditional license, the initial term is negotiated; renewal is for the lesser of ten years or the renewed concession agreement’s term, subject to the stated conditions. See our Item 17 guide.

Item 20 reports 652 franchised outlets and 175 company-owned outlets, 827 total, at fiscal year-end 2025 (September 28, 2025). Our Item 20 guide explains how to read the outlet tables.

The territory map

As of October 14, 2026, Qdoba’s available-territories page carries a map legend of Open, Limited and Sold out/Non-trad only, and a state-by-state list with entries such as “Priority Markets” and “Limited Market” naming cities. It states 850+ restaurants in 47 states.

That is a checkable disclosure, and it is worth reading closely, because the alternative is discovering late that your market is closed.

Check your market on Qdoba’s page before you read another figure. Territory is the one constraint that capital does not solve.

SBA Franchise Directory: Qdoba Restaurant Corporation appears in the SBA’s Franchise Directory file effective October 9, 2026 (SBA Franchise Identifier Code S1370; franchisor certification marked received). A listing is what a lender checks for brand eligibility; it is not an endorsement, and your own eligibility as a borrower is assessed separately. See how to check the SBA Franchise Directory.

Questions to ask Qdoba before you sign

• Is the minimum one restaurant or two? Your FDD and your What It Takes page give different answers, so please confirm in writing.
• Should I budget for the FDD’s $548,100 to $1,294,000, the FAQ’s $545,500 to $1,294,000, or the What It Takes page’s $249,100 to $1,299,000? Which is current?
• Is there a local marketing requirement? The FDD says currently none, and the What It Takes page lists 1.25 percent.
• Is the royalty calculated on gross or net sales, and what does gross sales exclude?
• Is my specific market open, and what does “limited” mean for it in practice?
• The marketing fee is described as negotiable: what determines where it lands, and can it change later?
• How do I document my honorable discharge for the veterans fee reduction, and does it apply to a non-traditional license?
• Will a franchise attorney and an accountant review the full FDD with me before I commit?

For other cost guides, see Del Taco, Which Wich, Freddy’s and Charleys Cheesesteaks.