Students at the University of Michigan now have a new option when they need to grab a quick bite on campus. Qdoba Mexican Eats, a fast-casual chain restaurant, joined Panda Express and Subway on the ground floor of the Michigan Union Monday, officially opening for business this morning.
Susan Pile, senior director of University Unions, wrote in an email to The Michigan Daily that the decision to select Qdoba to go into the open space in the Union was made by U-M Procurement Services and a student team from the Michigan Union Board of Representatives.
“After reviewing numerous local and national brands during a competitive bid process, we selected Qdoba Mexican Eats to join our on-campus dining options,” Pile wrote. “Qdoba Mexican Eats was selected based on several student-focused considerations, such as ingredient quality and a variety of options available at multiple price points that meet diverse dietary needs.”
LSA freshman Ella Stage told The Daily she was excited about Qdoba opening because she prefers their assortment of tacos, burritos and nachos to other options already available on and near campus.
“I love it because Qdoba’s my favorite fast-food restaurant, and there’s not one close enough walking distance from campus,” Stage said. “This is really nice to have if you’re a Qdoba person over a Chipotle person.”
As with all other on-campus dining options located in the Union, Pile said students will be able to use on-campus currencies such as Dining Dollars, Blue Bucks in addition to cash and credit to purchase food at Qdoba.
“The students will be able to use both Blue Bucks and Dining Dollars at the Michigan Union Qdoba,” Pile wrote.
While many students were excited to have another accessible food option, some expressed disappointment in Qdoba’s current menu selection. For the rest of the month, the Union location will only offer rice bowls and nachos, since the machinery used to make tortillas for burritos and quesadillas won’t arrive until October.
LSA sophomore Nancy Ramirez went to Qdoba Monday with her friend. She told The Daily her friend was upset about the limited menu, but because Ramirez had never been to a Qdoba before, she was just excited to try something new.
“I know my friend was really upset that she wasn’t able to get tacos because that’s what she wanted,” Ramirez said. “I personally don’t really mind because I’ve never had Qdoba so I was just gonna try whatever.”
Ramirez said she looks forward to seeing how the new Qdoba will compare to the State Street Chipotle, another popular Mexican fast food option for U-M students.
“I was excited just ‘cause we don’t have very many Mexican foodie places here on campus,” Ramirez said. “But honestly, now that I’m eating (it), I feel like it doesn’t really compare to Chipotle just because Chipotle has so many more options. That being said, I feel like it is a plus that you can pay with your Mcard here. It makes it a lot more convenient.”
Daily Staff Reporters Madison Hammond and Rebecca Lewis can be reached at madihamm@umich.edu and rebeccl@umich.edu.