QDOBA Mexican Eats — Restaurant in Elkhart

Terrible. My original review is below and shows that I have been a big fan in the past.

I stopped going because the really nice person seems to be gone and I encountered mean and gross attitudes. I once asked the person making my food to please leave my quesadilla on the grill a second time (I was the only customer in the store so I wasn't holding up the line) because when they only cook it once the tortilla is still white and soft and I prefer a little toastiness. She said she wasn't "allowed" to "burn" customers' food or she would be fired. I told her I didn't want it burned, or even necessarily brown, I just wanted it to be a little toasted and their grill wasn't hot enough to really even melt all the cheese. She told me that she would not do it and she would be happy to get a manager to tell me that she isn't allowed to. I just took my food and left. She was so aggressive and it was completely unnecessary, especially because I've worked a lot of food service and I know how much it sucks and always am very nice and undemanding. I won't even return food when it is made wrong most of the time. I had several other negative experiences and dealt with unecessarily rude employees so I stopped going. Then I got a coupon and decided to go again today. I placed the order through the app, arrived after the food was supposed to be ready, and things did not go well.

The order wasn't ready because they didn't have the protein I ordered. The worker (the only person working) was clearly overwhelmed and was alone so I just picked a different protein and just let it go. Then there was not enough white rice and barely enough brown rice. The beans looked gross. Most of the bar was empty, both hot side and cold side. The "fresh" ingredients were gross-looking and scant. In hindsight, it looks like the food on the bar was the food from last night, especially since some of the hot pans were covered with plastic wrap still. It is no problem when restaurants properly carry over food, but this was almost 2 hours after open time and there should have been fresh food made by this point.

Anyway, I get my food, which I am extremely dissatisfied with, and go to get a drink. The Coke Freestyle machine is basically empty. There were very few options. The drink area was not stocked or clean. As I was poking around the drink machine, two men get up from the table they've been sitting at in the lobby and go back behind the counter. Apparently they were employees, yet they were not making sure the person working had support or supplies. One guy walks around behind the counter on his cell phone and the other starts loudly berating the person working alone saying that it was unacceptable to be out of rice and meat, etc. She tries to offer a reason but he just loudly, in front of customers, starts complaining about how she should have got started working on stuff and that he told her over 45 minutes ago to make rice. So... two Qdoba employees, one of which seems to be leadership, have been sitting in the lobby while one person runs the store alone, while knowing that there wasn't enough food. I felt so bad for the person running the restaurant alone. It was so embarrassing to witness. Then, without washing his hands, he made himself a bowl of food while complaining that she isn't doing her job.

All of this is horrible customer service and horrible employee support. I bet senior management probably complains that "no one wants to work anymore." Original review: 10/5 stars! I love this place. The store is clean, the food has been fresh and delish, the staff is friendly, and Lynell (sp?) treats me as if I am her long lost daughter. She and others have been really welcoming and helpful with recommending things since my first time at Qdoba was a few weeks ago.

I've been back 3 or 4 times in 2 weeks because I loved it. I was also pleasantly surprised that some meals come with queso and guac without an extra cost. The queso is a little liquidy, but still tasty, and there's a spicy queso! Also the Cholula Chicken...

I give this location an extra star out of leeway for what I perceived to be issues out of staff's control. Overall, the food preparation, lack of care, uncleanliness of the food prep line/counters, and overall lack of organization and training are why I'll never be back.

Ordered online last night for pickup at the store, set for a 6:45 arrival. When I walked in about five minutes early, the first girl I spoke to looked at me like I was from outer space when I said I had an online pickup order under my last name.

Apparently, their "computer/printer system does not work," so they do not receive online order tickets as the orders come in. The shift manager kept uttering between breaths that "everything is against us in this store", which kind of made me feel bad for him and the other staff, but also showed a lack of professionalism when you're working in such close proximity to customers.

While they tried to piece together my order, I was asked multiple times what I wanted and how I wanted it prepared, when I shouldn't have had to repeat those details. Again, benefit of the doubt went to the staff for the computer glitch, and I let it slide.

However, when the team bagged my order, it was all wrong in terms of handling and care. A huge carton of queso was placed ON TOP of chips in the same bag, as was a separate container of salsa placed on top of chips. Who does this?!

The tacos I ordered for my fiancé were sloppily prepared, wrapped, and bagged, so their contents soaked the paper takeout bag before I could get home.

The tacos were so soggy they fell apart the moment he picked them up to take a bite. Everything was overstuffed, sloppily prepared, and a soggy mess.

The chicken nachos with queso, fajita veggies, salsa and lettuce that I ordered (with chips on the side) turned out more like a queso soup in a bowl than nacho toppings arranged in a bowl. I felt sick after just a few bites of pure liquid cheese and couldn't even find the pieces of chicken, pico, or veggies within because everything was swimming in an inch of queso.

I understand the staff trying to please customers quickly, but this was just a mess from the start. Their food prep tables were disgustingly dirty and needed a good wipe-down, the staff were making several meals at once and confusing each others' orders on the prep line, and the service and quality of our meal was truly atrocious.

Skip this Qdoba and go to Chipotle or an actual, authentic Mexican restaurant in town.

At least you won't pay almost $30 for food you can barely stomach,...

I can’t imagine a much worse scenario all around. Every time I come to this location it gets worse.

Today the employee making my bowl spoke zero English. Everything I asked she had to go get someone else to translate. She also had apparently received no training and was not al all familiar with the menu. She rang my meal up as all separate items. I tried to explain to her there was a meal price and showed her the “make it a meal for +$3.50 ad on the menu.” She didn’t understand and continued arguing that my bowl, chips, queso and drink was $20.something.

Finally the manager(?) came and pressed some buttons on the register for her and walked away. My total was now $24.something! Again I had to wait for the non-English speaking employee to get help. But not without first having another several minute verbal struggle.

I was finally given a correct price and cup. I paid for my meal, relieved to be past pulling teeth to get my meal correct and went to the soda machine. It was the filthiest I’ve ever seen. Sticky pop everywhere, gnats flying in and around. Trash on the counter. No lids. My feet were stuck to the floor by the time I realized there was no ice. I asked for ice and waiting yet again while an employee got it from the back.

I skeptically poured myself some Vanilla Coke while a manager(?) climbed a latter right next to me to open the top of the machine. Perhaps to fill the ice? The pop I had poured in my cup looked flat. I can’t believe after all this I tasted it but I did. It was disgusting, and indeed, 100% flat.

I finally asked if I could please just have a bottled coke from the fridge. I think the manager(?) at the machine with me knew by this time how done I was and rightfully so. She said yes and hollered to the non-English speaking employee to give me a coke. As if.

I walked over to the fridge where she was standing confused, pointed to what I wanted, thanked her, and was finally able to leave. Only to discover in the car that my side of queso was pure liquid. Apparently they’re watering it down to make it go farther? I don’t know. I don’t think I want to know. All I can say is, yikes. What a disaster. I’d have to be awfully desperate to ever try this location again....