QDOBA Mexican Eats — Restaurant in Eagan

I was a Chipotle stan and a Qdoba hater. I remember my first time eating Qdoba. I was in the food court of the Eden Prairie mall and we were about to watch the movie 2012 at the AMC. I hadn't eaten dinner yet and my mom gave me a 20 that day. I looked at the menu of Qdoba and it seemed like another Chipotle. I ordered a similar bowl to what I would always get at Chipotle. Chicken, extra rice, tortilla on the side, guacamole, pico, cheese, and lettuce. They didn't have lettuce at the time so I had to get the fajita vegetables. I took one bite and was in disgust. It was in the uncanny valley of what texmax might taste like if it were prepared by someone in Wisconsin making a bowl of what his friend made him from Nebraska who had texmex once at the Chicago O'hare airport. I vowed to never have Qdoba again, even if it was the only thing I could eat in the apocalypse. Well a decade later, I had it maybe once or twice. Today a friend told me that I had to get the Sweet and Spicy chicken. So reluctantly I decided to try it and my mind was blown. I will NEVER order from Chipotle again. It's like your expectations for when the new Jumanji movie came out and the same result leaving the theater mind boggled. First, I saw the new lime Shrimp on the menu. "Okay cool, that's nice" I said to myself. Then I started going through checkout: Free Guac, Tortilla Chip Topping, New Sauces, and more. All for only maybe .50 more than Chipotle. Chipotle took fresh limes from us (you have to request them now), they kept on raising the price of guac, having a tortilla on the side was extra, and throughout all this time they just released like one actually good flavor this year? Chipotle has gotten too comfortable and now Qdoba wins 10/10 on every front. Now when I go to the food court in the Eden Prairie mall, I will be getting Qdoba now and forever and always. (Do they still serve...

I visit this Qdoba about once a week because I genuinely enjoy the food, when it’s made correctly. Unfortunately, that seems to be a bit of a gamble. Tonight was yet another example of an order not being right, which is becoming more of a routine than an exception.

My wife’s bowl had what I can only assume was the absolute last scoop of pork from the pan, maybe two ounces, tops. I get it, portions vary, but when I’m paying for a protein-based meal, I’d prefer it to include more than a snack-size amount. I went inside and asked for more, and to their credit, they fixed it immediately without any issue. So, points for customer service.

My order, however, was missing guacamole. Now, this is where things got interesting. When I pointed it out, the manager confidently assured me that the guac was there, “just buried under everything.” I wanted to believe her, I really did. But after a full excavation of my bowl, I can confirm that the mythical hidden guacamole simply did not exist. Again, I work in the service industry, so I understand mistakes happen. But at the same time, I just want what I paid for.

This location has a pattern of getting my order wrong about every other visit. And yet, I keep coming back. Why? Because when I bring it up, they always make it right. It’s frustrating that I even have to, but at least the staff is willing to fix their mistakes. So, while I can’t say the execution is consistent, the effort to correct errors is.

Would I recommend this Qdoba? Sure, just be prepared to double-check your order before you leave. And maybe bring a flashlight for that elusive...

The two line people were extremely rude to not only every customers in line but was rude to each other. One guy (the starter) and one girl(the cashier and cold ingredients.) Neither of them were listening or communicating. The blond guy completely ignored one person in my group and had to be repeatedly told what we wanted. He smashed the tortillas down hard on the press, burning them in the middle but the tortillas ended up being cold yet burnt. All of the ingredients on the line were everywhere. None of the hot ingredients had been stirred in awhile because. Most of the meats were drying out and developing a crust. The rice was in at least 3 other pans other than the rice and the lettuce was everywhere. The speed of service was slower than a snail. The more people that lined up, the slower they went and no one came to help them. After they had to ring up two orders because she messed up ringing the first one up we sat down.

We watched 3 separate groups walk in but walk straight out seeing the line people arguing. I don't blame those customers. We would have walked out too if Qdoba wasn't what we came to Eagan to get.

Our food (we dined in) was already mostly cold when we sat down and the meat was tough and chewy. The brisket was hard even.

Overall, after the remodel, not only did the used to be amazing crew change to the angry customer service people we saw today, but the quality of food was so poor we will no longer be driving out of our way to get Qdoba.

They get a one star because I...