Qdoba vs. Chipotle has been a question that's been needing an answer for as long as these two companies have been founded. Qdoba was founded in 1995 by Robert Hauser and Anthony Miller. Chipotle was founded two years earlier by Steve Ells. These two companies are at the top of moderate speed Mexican cuisine.

When ordering at Chipotle you have a choice between 6 different proteins with Qdoba only having 5. Chipotle gives you an option for a vegetarian based meat while Qdoba does not offer that. When it comes to the rice both Chipotle and Qdoba offer lime rice and seasoned brown rice. Where Qdoba takes the lead is with their queso and guacamole. When ordering at Qdoba guacamole and queso are free, but at Chipotle the queso and guacamole are both $2.50 making Qdoba cheaper if you plan on getting either of those two items. Besides that they are the same price at around $7.30.

When choosing where to go, price isn't the only thing to look at. Taste could be considered to be more important than price. There was a taste test done by 6 students from Princeton University determining whether or not they thought Qdoba or Chipotle tasted better. When the 6 people were given the chicken from Chipotle and Qdoba, almost all 6 of them said that the chicken from Chipotle was substantially better. The next round they did was the lime chips. This round went to Qdoba with four out of the six agreeing that the Qdoba chips were better. Round three was beef. This one was even with three people favoring Qdoba and the other three favoring Chipotle. By the 4th round, Qdoba and Chipotle were pretty even when it came to taste. Round four was rice which is said to be the most important part of a meal for both places. Qdoba blew Chipotle out of the water with five of the six people saying Qdoba's rice was better. With the fifth and final round being the guacamole, this could determine which restaurant these people thought were better. The round was almost a blow out with five out the six people saying Chipotle's guac is better. In the eyes of these students, both companies are pretty even with Qdoba and Chipotle both having their strengths and weaknesses.

When it comes to which is better, it's very situational. If you are trying to get a cheaper meal then go with Qdoba. If you are vegan and trying to get a bowl with a plant based meat then Chipotle is for you, but based on taste they are both very similar. When choosing which one is better it just depends on what you are looking for at that point in time.