QDOBA Mexican Eats has hired franchising veteran Shawn Caric as Vice President of Franchise Development. In his new role, Caric will be directing the 740-unit brand’s strategic franchise expansion across key markets in the United States and Canada.
Caric brings nearly two decades of franchise development experience with him. He most recently served as the Director of Development for the Midwest Region at Dunkin Brands, leading real estate signings and site approval for 11 states. Over the years, Caric has developed a strong record for successfully leading dynamic teams that drive company growth and profits through award-winning results in the areas of franchise development, operations, sales, and training.
“The results that Shawn has achieved in his career with restaurant and non-restaurant franchise concepts is impressive, and we knew immediately that his experience and franchising knowledge would be a great asset to QDOBA,” says Keith Guilbault, CEO of QDOBA. “As we continue our aggressive franchise expansion, Shawn will play a critical role in bringing QDOBA to new regions and expanding our existing market footprint. We’re excited that another executive with a great reputation has joined our team at such a momentous period.”
Caric joins QDOBA during an exciting time, as the company recently unveiled a series of new restaurant footprints built to fuel the brand’s multi-unit growth in the years ahead. The new concepts are designed to grow off-premises sales, and include ghost kitchen formats and smaller takeout footprints designed with dense urban areas in mind. Notably, restaurants with drive-thrus can enter spaces as small as 1,200 square feet.
“QDOBA is in a great position to grow, and I’m looking forward to working alongside the corporate team, existing franchisees and new operators to continue to expand the brand across North America,” Caric says. “QDOBA is at a pivotal time in its growth trajectory, and I welcome the opportunity to be a part of the brand’s story as we reach new milestones. With the momentum behind the brand right now, the possibilities are endless.”
As QDOBA continues to expand throughout the United States, it is actively seeking qualified multi-unit and multi-segment groups with experience in development strategy and focused on diversifying with a bold concept.
