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Showing posts with label qdoba. Show all posts
Showing posts with label qdoba. Show all posts

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Post #55 - Qdoba Round #2 - 9/3/2009


This was sent 9/3/2009.

Dear Brad,

Picture the best concert, from your favorite band of all times. Let’s just say Blue Oyster Cult, for discussion’s sake. You’re at their concert. First song: Godzilla--you can only hear the base. Next song: Burnin’ For You--you only hear the drums. Third song: (Don’t Fear the) Reaper—only the vocals. And then the concert’s over because those are their only three songs. But the concert would have been better if you could hear all of the instruments together. A Qdoba burrito is a song. A great song—no Starship “We Built This City” BS! I want to hear the whole song.

Back in March, I brought to your attention an issue that I’ve experienced on MOST occasions. My issue is, and has always been content distribution within the burrito arena. I believe I compared it to a high school dance—the tortilla is the high school gymnasium. The rice equals the girls. The meat and beans equals the boys. Because it’s a big gymnasium, my mouth can only cover one third of the gym at a time. I can never enjoy the whole experience unless I cut it open and mix it together, and tediously regroup everything on my fork—meat, rice , beans, cheese and sour cream, along with a piece of tortilla.. That’s a lot of work, especially on a tour bus that bounces on every pot hole! Mullins was SUPPOSED to replace those shocks.

Here’s an illustration. This thing’s about 8 inches wide by 3 inches tall.


In your replies, you seemed keen on addressing this with the individual at your Sandusky location. This is a global issue—it happens most of the time, at any random Qdoba location that I’ve tried. I’ve spoken to multiple people who have the same complaint, but love Qdoba anyway. It’s all in your procedure—you’re vertically stacking rice, then beans, then meat, then cheese. When you close the burrito and give it the “mash down”, everything becomes vertical (like the Italian flag).

Other places with similar (albeit inferior) products (rhymes with Cleo Chaps) use a bowl. They add all the ingredients to the bowl, and lovingly toss them together before emptying onto the tortilla. Then, every bite of (inferior) meaty cargo has all of the ingredients. It’s a (inferior) song of flavors in every bite!

Why don’t you consider some intermediary step, between the ingredient stack-down, and the wrap-up? I still loyally frequent your restaurants, and even wear a Qdoba shirt I made up with magic markers.

Sincerely,

Jerry

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Post #8 - Qdoba and Life In My Band, Cold Gravy


My note to Qdoba, sent 3/9/2009:

Dear Qdoba,

I am the bassist and backing vocalist in a tribute blues band, Cold Gravy. We play cover versions of the collective works of Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, and B.B. King. We also do one Sir-Mix-A-Lot song. Our budget is tight. Our overhead minimal, and as you can imagine, life on the road can make the pants a little tight.

I drive the equipment truck, with my sidekick, Mullins the Chimp. He eats what I eat. He helps unload and load equipment. Mullins sets up and takes down the drum kit. When Mullins is unhappy, the rest of the band is unhappy. He has started and finished more than one bar fight, and has served as my best man thrice.

When I’m on the road, I like to eat healthy, and as inexpensively as possible. That leaves only one true choice. I eat Qdoba every night for dinner. Generally, I build-a-burrito. I normally go chicken, black bean, verde, fajita vegetables, and sour cream. Once in a while, I swap pico for verde and cheese for sour cream. Regardless, I LOVE QDOBA.

Every trip involves a struggle with Mullins. Mullins loves Arby’s. Let’s make a piece of leather on a bun taste better with some horsy sauce. Whatever. As a compromise, I eat nearly every lunch there, and order Mullins a deli sandwich for his dinner. Yesterday I found my window to convert Mullins. Mullins had a bad sandwich experience. BAD!

I seized the opportunity—I had the workers at this particular Qdoba make a beef burrito with black beans, pico, fajita vegetables, and sour cream. I handed it to a dejected Mullins. First bite: SUCCESS!!!!! Mullins did a happy chimp dance. I thought to myself “YES! No more Arby’s. I can double down on Qdoba twice a day now. Next bite, to the left of the first bite: “NO!” All rice and sour cream. And so it went. “YES!” “NO!”

The final verdict was no. The stuff inside the burrito wasn’t mixed. Picture a high school dance. Girls (meat, beans and sauce) on one side, and boys (rice, cilantro, and sour cream) on the other side. The two never meet. An opportunity missed. Cold showers, the creepy room at the video store with the naughty tapes, and eventually, a truck stop arrest. If I’ve seen it once, I’ve seen it 100 times. Come to think of it, I’ve had this burrito phenomenon happen before, and at other Adobe locations.

A normal burrito is long and thin. Your (don’t get me wrong) delicious burritos are more “squarish”. The long thin design lends itself more to diversity in each bite. Your burritos, while absolutely delicious, sometimes feel like that awkward dance--rice on the left, flavor on the right. As I look at the long thin burrito on your website, I think to myself “Sweet Baby Jesse, I’ve never had a Qdoba burrito that was that long and thin.” Misleading, to say the least.

Anyway, Mullins told me I’m off Qdoba, and I have to eat Arby’s from now on, or else he stops doing roadie work. He’s kind a got me in a tight spot. Can you help me here? Are the workers “doing it wrong?” Is there a mix-it-up procedure? Does Sir Mix-a-Lot enjoy your products? Any assistance that you can provide is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Jerry
Uninspired Bass Player and Backing Vocalist
Cold Gravy, the Ultimate Blues Experience
“Not a Dry Eye in the House”
Available for Weddings, Birthdays, and all Special Occasions
(734)XXX-XXXX
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From: guest.relations@jackinthebox.com
Subject: Qdoba / 100067222
Date: Mon, 9 Mar 2009 21:32:56 -0700

Dear Jerry,

Thank you for your e-mail regarding your visit to Qdoba #2562. I apologize for the problems you experienced with your recent order and have addressed your concerns with the appropriate restaurant management. I would be happy to send you a complimentary certificate, which you can use at any of our participating restaurants. If this is acceptable, please provide your mailing address. If you would like to discuss this matter further, please contact our Guest Relations department at 1-888-497-3622, and refer to report #100067222. Our representatives are available Monday through Friday, 7am to 4pm PT.

Sincerely,

Brad L.

Qdoba Guest Relations
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To: guest.relations@jackinthebox.com
Subject: RE: Qdoba / 100067222
Date: Tue, 10 Mar 2009 06:06:19 -0400

Brad,

Thank you for your help on this. That would be acceptable. I just hope they can make them more consistent, like the picture, at all the locations. For Mullins' sake. By the way, your email address suggests that you also manage Jack-in-the-Box. You're a multitasker!

Sincerely,

Jerry
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