Is Qdoba Mexican Eats or CoreLife Eatery cheaper to open?

Qdoba Mexican Eats costs $545,500–$1,294,000 and CoreLife Eatery costs $789,500–$1,044,000 to open (FDD Item 7). Qdoba Mexican Eats has the lower entry cost.

Which is the better franchise, Qdoba Mexican Eats or CoreLife Eatery?

FranchiseVerdict grades Qdoba Mexican Eats A and CoreLife Eatery B, from FDD Items 5–7, 19–21 and SBA loan performance. See the full side-by-side above.

Qdoba Mexican Eats vs CoreLife Eatery

Franchise Comparison 2026

Both Qdoba Mexican Eats and CoreLife Eatery are quick-service restaurants franchises. Qdoba Mexican Eats requires an investment of $546K – $1.3M while CoreLife Eatery requires $790K – $1.0M. Qdoba Mexican Eats discloses average revenue of $1.6M; CoreLife Eatery does not report Item 19 data. CoreLife Eatery has SBA lending data on file with a 0.0% charge-off rate. FranchiseVerdict rates Qdoba Mexican Eats A (Strongest tier) and CoreLife Eatery B (Above average).

Metric	Qdoba Mexican Eats	CoreLife Eatery
Verdict Grade	AStrongest tierStrongest tier	BAbove averageAbove average
Investment Range	$546K – $1.3M	$790K – $1.0M
Franchise Fee	$40K	$35K
Royalty Rate	5.0%	5.0%
Average Revenue (Item 19)	$1.6M	N/A
SBA Charge-Off Rate	N/A	0.0% (15 loans)
Total Units	777	49
Unit Growth (YoY)	N/A	N/A
Year Began Franchising	1997	2016
FDD Year	2024	2024