Two new restaurant franchises to spice up local marketplace

by Paul Schreiber

SBJ Reporter

pschreiber@sbj.net

There will be two new selections on the Springfield restaurant menu this summer with the addition of Minneapolis-based Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar and Wheat Ridge, Colo.-based Qdoba Mexican Grill.

Qdoba Mexican Grill

The first franchise setting up shop is Qdoba with a 2,900-square-foot, 90-seat location going in at 4127 S. Kansas Expwy. in the Republic Plaza, said Jay Quintana, director of operations and partner in Burrito Concepts LLC, the entity with development rights for up to 20 locations in southwest Missouri, northwest Arkansas, Tulsa and Stillwater, Okla.

Construction in the Republic Plaza store will be finished by late July, said LaDonna Fey, project manager for Morelock-Ross Builders; Qdoba's second location at 800 E. Battlefield will be complete by late August, she added.

Additional Missouri Qdoba locations are planned in Columbia, Branson, Joplin and Jefferson City, he said. Menu items include "build-to-suit" burritos, quesadillas, taco salads, homemade nachos and soups, he added. Store hours will be 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, he added.

Quintana's two leases are for 10 years with two five-year options. It costs about $500,000 to get a store operational, he added. There are annual royalties due to run the restaurants, he said, but would not disclose the percentage or fees.

"Our agreement is a minimum of 14 (locations) in five years, and hopefully we'll have the 14 within two and a half years, and then go from there," Quintana said. "It's a very aggressive growth plan," he added, stressing that what's critical in each store's success is location and finding the right people to run them. The general manager of the Republic Plaza location will be Jason Meyer.

Per Quintana's agreement, Burrito Concepts LLC will establish and operate each store, rather than make them available to individual franchisee acquisition, he said. Typically, locations employ about 30, he added.

A strong local demographic in the 16-to-25-year-old age range, the presence of several colleges and universities, and the "significant amount of money expendable, disposable income that people have" in the Springfield area, made good sense in positioning restaurants here, Quintana said.

Infill was based on a Qdoba corporate template modified to fit the existing conditions, said Mark Cummins of Marshall-Waters-Woody Associates, project architect for Qdoba. The firm also designed the shell buildings at Republic Plaza.

Prior to his move to Springfield, Quintana has spent some 25 years in the restaurant industry, including nine years working for Landry's Restaurants in Houston and nine years with Spaghetti Warehouse. Beyond his Qdoba's sites, he operates no other restaurants.

Qdoba began in 1995 and was purchased by Jack in the Box in 2003, Quintana said. It operates more than 135 sites overall, with recently opened restaurants in St. Louis and Kansas City.

Buffalo Wild Wings

Springfield's second Qdoba will compete for clientele with Buffalo Wild Wings at 900 E. Battlefield in Battlefield Marketplace.

"We're definitely geared to do two stores without even hesitating. We'll go from there as far as what the town will hold," said Jim Bruno, president of Let's Eat Out, Inc. He hasn't picked a second city location yet.

Springfield's first 5,750-square-foot Buffalo Wild Wings will cost about $850,000 and should be open by mid-August, said Bruno, who's still waiting for his building permit. He has a 10-year lease with Randy Magers, but would not disclose the amount.

Bruno holds the market agreement for Joplin and currently operates a Buffalo Wild Wings in Michigan City, Ind., with plans to open locations in Madison and Huntsville, Ala.

The permit should come in about two weeks, said Ron Slone, principal with Slone Architects, the firm designing the infill. He estimated about 10 weeks to complete construction work. A general contractor has yet to be selected, he added.

The franchise fee is $30,000 per restaurant to buy the name and license and get support from Buffalo Wild Wings corporate, Bruno said. Royalties run 5 percent per month beginning the first year and remain constant. There is also an advertising fee that could run as high as 3 percent, he added. On top of this, Bruno will pay for local advertising, as well.

Corporate support includes five weeks of personnel training, sending a training team to physically open up the store and intranet service for company updates, Bruno said.

Revenue forecasts typically run $2 million for a full year of operation, Bruno said, hoping 2005's receipts will be at least that.

Each restaurant employs about 30 people, and opens at 11 a.m. and may stay open until 1 a.m., depending on the local market. In addition to Buffalo-style chicken wings, the restaurant serves burgers, salads, desserts and a variety of cocktails, Bruno said.

Finding a clientele among Springfield's determined restaurant-goers will be best done by holding fast to the corporate mantra of "Wings. Beer. Sports. All the essentials," Bruno said. That, and promoting the restaurant's family atmosphere, should set Buffalo Wild Wings apart from the competition, he added.

A free wireless remote game National Trivia Network can be played by people in the restaurant or against players in other locations, Bruno said. Throughout the location will be six large-screen TVs and there's arcade games, as well.

All stores will be operated under the direction ownership of Let's Eat Out Inc., an entity Bruno operates with two unnamed investment partners who offer no input regarding the operation of the stores.

Bruno is familiar with restaurant franchise development. At one time, his numbers peaked when he was operating 42 different units simultaneously, said Greg Pitkoff, vice president and group manager for Nichol-CKPR, the marketing firm for Buffalo Wild Wings. These included Pizza Hut, Dunkin' Donuts and Arby's franchises, he said.

Buffalo Wild Wings has more than 252 locations in operation and was launched in 1982 near the campus of Ohio State University, in Columbus, Ohio, according to the company's Web site.