Chipotle came first. Chipotle opened its first restaurant in 1993. Its chief rival, Qdoba Mexican Grill, came two years later.
Chipotle founder and CEO, Steve Ells, grew up in Indianapolis before moving to Boulder during junior high. Ells enjoyed Denver's burritos, both the smothered and the cooler variety, while attending the University of Colorado during the 1980s.
With the help of an $85,000 loan from his father, who was so skeptical of the idea that he required his son to draw up a business plan, Ells opened Chipotle Mexican Grill in a former Dolly Madison ice cream shop near the University of Denver in the summer of 1993.
Qdoba Mexican Grill's founder, Tony Miller, was an investment banker for Merrill Lynch who returned home and grabbed a bite at Chipotle; company lore maintains that Miller proposed a business partnership with Ells, who declined.
Knowing a great idea when he tasted one, the Colorado native opened his first restaurant in 1995. Instead of just burritos and tacos, though, Qdoba plays around with other Mexican dishes like licuados (Mexican-style smoothies) and mole poblano, a style it labels Modern Nouveau Mex.
Know more about how these companies started by reading this Westword article.
Die-hard Qdoba fans will claim Qdoba is better because guacamole is free, while Chipotle fans will argue that their food is of higher quality. It is time for us to settle this debate. Check out this Collegiate Times article to find out who wins the battle.