QDOBA appoints Former Applebee’s COO, Kevin Carroll, as Chief Operating Officer

QDOBA Mexican Eats has announced that Kevin Carroll, the former COO of Applebee’s, has joined the company as its Chief Operating Officer.

The announcement confirms Carroll’s responsibility for QDOBA’s operations strategy across its 800 restaurants.

The Appointment comes on the heels of QDOBA’s 7.7% increase in comp sales for its fiscal year ending September 2024, on top of last years 6.3% comp sales growth.

CEO of QDOBA, John Cynwinski shared that he was thrilled by Kevin’s decision to join the QDOBA Family and went on to laud Kevin’s leadership experience within the restaurant industry.

I’m fired up to be partnering with John again in support of this extraordinarily well-positioned brand, QDOBA is indeed the best kept secret in the restaurant industry, and I’m looking forward to working alongside our talented team and franchise partners to unlock our full potential.

said Kevin Carroll

Kevin is a deeply experienced and highly regarded executive with a well-deserved reputation for excellence. Beyond his character and integrity, what I value most about Kevin is his guest-first orientation and his commitment to a culture of accountability. We are very fortunate to have a leader of Kevin’s caliber help guide us at this time of unprecedented growth.

Cywinski added,

QDOBA plans to expand its footprint to over 1,600 restaurants in the next decade.

For over 7 years, Carroll served as COO of Applebee’s Grill & Bar, leaving a significant mark on the 1,600-restaurant brand while earning the trust of franchise partners and team members. Before Applebee’s, Carroll was Senior Vice President of Operations for Chili’s Grill & Bar (Brinker International), accountable for 700 company-owned restaurants, 35,000 team members and an approximate $2B portfolio. Throughout his 27-year tenure with Chili’s, Carroll rose steadily through the ranks of the organization from Restaurant General Manager to Area Director to Regional Director to Regional Vice President to Senior Vice President.

For six consecutive years, QDOBA has been recognized as the “Best Fast Casual Restaurant” in the USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards. 

With over 800 locations across the USA, Canada, and Puerto Rico, QDOBA is a fast-casual Mexican restaurant offering delicious items such as burritos, bowls, tacos, quesadillas, nachos, and salads.

SOURCE QDOBA Mexican Eats