GREAT FALLS — Qdoba Mexican Eats restaurant opened in Great Falls on Friday after months of anticipation. The Denver-based chain has more than 700 restaurants across the U.S. and Canada, specializing in tacos, quesadillas, taco salads, and tortilla soup.
In order to get people in the door on day one, the restaurant said that the first 50 people in line would win a free burrito or bowl every month for a year.
T.J. Dues, a 16-year-old Great Falls High School student, took no chances.
“We were here at like, 6:37, 6:40,” Dues said, “We got here pretty early. We wanted to get our free burritos and stuff for the year.”
Qdoba opened its doors just days after a Chipotle restaurant opened in Great Falls.
“We have seen an uptick in what I call the fast casual restaurant community, and that's good news for people in Great Falls,” said Tom Micuda, Deputy Director of the City of Great Falls Planning and Community Development Department.
Since the COVID pandemic, the population of Great Falls has begun to grow, recently surpassing 60,000 in population.
Micuda attributes the influx of restaurants to this growth: “They're really just looking for what's the next good opportunity. Whether it's Missoula, Bozeman, Kalispell, places nearby, there's a list. And we think that essentially the Great Falls is now making the list of these restaurants.”
Qdoba is located at 415 Third Street NW (suite 100) and open every day, 10:30 A.M. to 10:00 P.M.
MORE RESTAURANT NEWS
Boston’s Restaurant & Sports Bar said on Facebook that it is shutting down in a few days: “It is with a mixture of sadness and gratitude that we write to you today. After 16 wonderful years of serving our beloved community, we have made the difficult decision to close our doors permanently.” It’s located along 7th Street South just off of 10th Avenue South. According to The Electric, the Boston’s building will eventually become an Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom, a Colorado-based chain that has dozens of locations, including Missoula, Billings, and Bozeman.
Chipotle Mexican Grill opened its first Great Falls location on Wednesday, October 18. The restaurant is at 1900 10th Avenue South, and will be open every day from 10:45am until 10pm. It is located on the lot formerly occupied by the Cartwheel Casino & Liquor Store.
Montana's Rib & Chop House opened its Great Falls restaurant on Monday, October 23, 2023. The 5,000-plus square-foot restaurant is at 21 Third Street North, the former location of a Wells Fargo bank. The restaurant has 225 seats, and is open from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. daily. The Rib & Chop House was founded in 2001 and has restaurants in Billings, Bozeman, Butte, and Livingston, along with locations in Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah. The restaurant features steak, ribs, shrimp, salmon, jambalaya, and more. Click here to check out the complete menu.
Mi Rancho restaurant at 1220 10th Avenue South has closed - but is slated to re-open soon in a new location. It originally opened in late 2022 in the building formerly occupied by Fiesta En Jalisco on the NE side of the Holiday Village parking lot. The new Mi Rancho will be on the south side of 200 block of Central Avenue, in the space formerly occupied by several other restaurants in recent years, including Harvest Craft Kitchen, Tap House Grill, Rio Ranch Grill, Sedgie's, and Portofino's.
A Tony Roma's restaurant is scheduled to open inside the Holiday Inn hotel at 1100 Fifth Street South. The restaurant will serve ribs, steaks, burgers, seafood, and more. The project was announced several years ago, but stalled for some reason. An employee at the existing restaurant inside the hotel told KRTV several weeks ago that Tony Roma's is likely to open before the end of the year. There was a free-standing Tony Roma's in the Great Falls Marketplace area several years ago.
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