Qdoba Debuts First National Campaign As Jon Burke Becomes CMO, Targeting a Doubling by 2032
Qdoba launches its first national campaign just days after elevating Jon Burke to CMO, reframing free guacamole and queso as a value-forward hook while building a multi-year, data-driven path to double its footprint by 2032.
A First, And A Signal
Qdoba launched its first national campaign just days after promoting Vice President of Marketing Jon Burke to chief marketing officer, and the timing is purposeful: the company has declared an ambition to double its footprint by "2032." That long horizon favors steady, sustainable brand-building over quick bursts, a balanced cadence meant to nourish awareness and invite trial across seasons rather than weeks. The opening creative debuted on "Oct. 1" and runs into November, set to Hall and Oates’ "You Make My Dreams (Come True)" and spotlighting the chain’s long-standing "free guacamole and queso" offer. By turning a former in-store perk into a headline, Qdoba is reframing value as a thoughtful promise. It’s a simple, resonant hook designed to meet a value-conscious moment while stitching the brand into consumers’ daily choices in a way that feels consistent and, importantly, repeatable. This national push is not a one-act play. It is the first verse in a multi-year composition that aims to introduce more people to a brand with room to grow. The tone is optimistic but grounded—the kind of message that can travel across platforms and time, building recognition with a mindful, cumulative rhythm.
A Candid Starting Point
Burke’s assessment of the past is frank: Qdoba had been "a brand that a lot of different private equity groups were passing around; Jack in the Box owned the brand for a while. Ultimately, it didn't necessarily have a clearly defined strategy and goal." Without a committed plan, the company underused marketing as a lever. "We had a very limited approach to media and to marketing in general. We had one of the lower-end contribution rates. We weren't really investing in marketing as a lever, and I think the brand suffered from it. More people in the U.S. don't know who we are than know who we are, and we're a brand that started in the ‘90s.’" If awareness is the central hurdle, then a coordinated national program becomes the thoughtful remedy. Rather than rely on sporadic efforts, the brand is choosing a nourishing multi-year approach—meant to compound recognition and create room for discovery. The reset pairs honesty about what’s been missing with a clear, steady plan for what comes next, acknowledging that sustained attention, not a single splash, is what builds durable equity. This shift is also a cultural one. It embraces a more mindful posture: fewer isolated tactics, more integrated storytelling; fewer short-term spikes, more balanced momentum. The goal is simple yet ambitious—earn attention by being present where people are, with a consistent promise that invites them in.
A Multi-Year Cadence
Historically, local operators and franchisees carried the marketing load—an approach that kept the brand present at the street level but limited consistent equity at scale. Now, the brand is moving from local activity to a unified, national cadence. The campaign runs through "2026" and will dedicate periods to menu items, holiday catering, and customization options. It’s a drumbeat designed to carry across multiple seasons without losing clarity. The media plan spans streaming, social media, influencers, online video and digital placements, along with live sports (specifically, "football") on TV. Buying into live sports and multi-platform channels aims to meet people where they increasingly spend time while delivering one national message instead of fragments. The structure itself supports recognition—thoughtful repetition, tailored to context, yet echoing the same value-forward refrain. Qdoba is part of Modern Restaurant Concepts, a fast-casual portfolio company owned by Butterfly Equity. That corporate frame helps explain the shift: unified brand-building is the kind of structural change needed to support broader awareness goals. The throughline is intentionality—be present, be consistent, and let the story build, season after season.
Turning A Perk Into A Promise
One of the earliest creative choices elevates a differentiator the brand didn’t always advertise. "The previous [ownership] group said, 'Let's do it, but let's hide it from the customer,' versus celebrating it," Burke said of the "free guacamole and queso" offer. The new posture is celebratory, and timely. "We know customers are looking for value." By moving a once-quiet perk to the front of the stage, Qdoba ties its message to a clear benefit that can be shared, remembered, and repeated. It also sets a balanced foundation for future storytelling—value, variety, and customization can be threaded through menu moments and seasonal occasions without recalibrating the brand’s center of gravity. This is mindful marketing in practice: rather than chase novelty, amplify what’s already nourishing about the experience and make it easier for guests to say yes. Over time, that clarity becomes an anchor—familiar, dependable, and well-suited to a multi-year journey.
White Space, Then Trial
Burke frames the competitive context directly: "It's Chipotle that really leads it. We're number two, and there's a lot of white space in this category." That perspective pairs with a concrete expansion plan to add "600" new restaurants to an "800-plus" footprint—math that underpins the goal to double by "2032." Internally, the team has observed a simple sequence: once guests discover Qdoba, they try the food and prefer it. The mandate, then, is focused: be discoverable. Burke captured it in one line—"laser focused on getting more people in the door." National-scale messaging anchored in tangible value like "free guacamole and queso" becomes the bridge between unfamiliar and first visit. This is a thoughtful growth path: start with awareness, invite trial through value, and let preference follow. It’s balanced by design—ambitious in scope, yet grounded in the practical work of showing up consistently where guests are already spending their attention.
A Broadened Remit, A Sharpened Focus
Burke joined Qdoba in "2023" after stints at Jollibee, Applebee's, McDonald's, and Del Taco. As CMO, he now oversees brand storytelling, integrated marketing and media, loyalty and digital engagement, as well as culinary innovation. Over the "two years" he has been at Qdoba, prior to his promotion, his focus has been on how the brand thinks about guests, targeting, and positioning, while bringing in agency partners to elevate the work. Recognizing a limited marketing talent pool, the company got more remote in its approach to finding the best talent in the restaurant industry, and Burke said the shift is paying dividends. It’s capability-building with purpose: if "the fact that most people don't know who we are" is a huge opportunity, then expanding the team’s reach and tools is a prerequisite to executing a multi-year, multi-channel plan. The mandate blends creativity with discipline—a mindful balance of message, media, and measurement. It’s designed to be durable, the kind of operating system that can support consistent output through 2026 and beyond without losing clarity or momentum.
Testing, Trust, And A Shared Base
The move to national spending arrived with a point to prove. Over the past year, the brand tested the approach in markets across a handful of restaurants to gather learnings, secure buy-in, and demonstrate impact. Those tests created a shared fact base for operators and corporate to rally around—a thoughtful way to build trust before scaling. The partnership has strengthened, especially since CEO "John Cywinski" joined "a few years ago," bringing new management that understands the industry and how to work with franchisees. With a franchisee advisory committee, both sides now operate hand in hand. For a company that historically leaned on local marketing, this alignment is a critical process shift; it helps ensure that national media dollars complement local execution rather than compete with it. It’s a balanced model: national reach with local resonance. The cultural tone has moved to collaboration, making space for operators’ on-the-ground insight while maintaining a clear, unified message—an essential ingredient in a sustainable growth recipe.
Stretching Every Dollar
The biggest lever now is moving into national marketing with a significant amount of dollars that, while still relatively small for the industry, will get Qdoba’s word out more than ever before. To maximize each dollar, the company leaned into partners specializing in data and media buying power. A key draw in Publicis Groupe was "Epsilon," enabling Qdoba to activate data and start understanding guests—an essential step for efficient reach. "Infinite Roar," one of Publicis Groupe’s media arms, provides buying power—a crucial advantage given Qdoba’s share of spend is small in the industry. Publicis Groupe has also connected the brand to "Influential," production arm "PXP," and other agencies, yielding "pretty good traction in increasing awareness and impressions on social" in a short period of time. The team is continuing to look at "artificial intelligence" as the industry moves in that direction. Complementing a campaign that runs through "2026" and spans streaming, social, influencer, online video, digital and live sports ("football") on TV, these partnerships aim to sharpen targeting, amplify creative like the "Oct. 1" debut set to "You Make My Dreams (Come True)," and scale value messaging around "free guacamole and queso," menu items, holiday catering, and customization. It’s a thoughtful, balanced media mix designed to work harder together than any single channel could alone.
Signals, Constraints, And The Lesson
Some constraints are clear. Budgets are still relatively small, and no specific spend figures or market-by-market results have been disclosed. Evidence to date comes from tests "across a handful of restaurants," a proving ground rather than a full rollout. The campaign is planned through "2026" while the footprint goal extends to "2032"—a timeline that acknowledges the size of the awareness task. Internally, the team recognizes that "More people in the U.S. don't know who we are than know who we are," a baseline that sets the stage for progress that must be earned. Media diversification into streaming, social, online video, digital and live "football" on TV reflects a push to match where consumers spend time. Still, the scale of impact on trial and preference will be determined by how consistently the brand can keep value, variety, and customization at the center of its message. For now, there is "pretty good traction in increasing awareness and impressions on social"—an encouraging signal rather than an endpoint. The lesson is both simple and disciplined: sustainable growth comes from a mindful, multi-year plan that people can recognize, trust, and act on. Qdoba’s approach favors a balanced, nourishing cadence—celebrate tangible value, align national and local voices, build capability, and let data guide the spend. In a category with "a lot of white space," the brand is choosing patience with purpose: a thoughtful path where each season adds up, inviting more guests through the door and turning discovery into durable preference.