Qdoba closes Saugus shop, opens store in Swampscott

SAUGUS – The Qdoba Mexican Grill on Route 1 North in Saugus was one of 67 restaurants closed by the popular Mexican food chain, said Qdoba spokesperson Brian Luscomb.Luscomb said Qdoba conducted a “comprehensive analysis” of all its restaurants, and looked at factors like cash flow, operating costs and brand awareness before making its decision.?As a result of that analysis we decided to close 67 restaurants across our system including our Saugus location,” said Luscomb. “There were actually a total of four Qdoba closed in the Boston area last week.”With an average of 15 employees working at a single restaurant, Luscomb said Qdoba tries to offer displaced employees positions at nearby locations.?I don?t know how many employees we were able to place, fortunately we still have 18 restaurants in the Boston area so we do have opportunities there,” he said. “We did provide severance packages to anyone who worked through the close.”The Qdoba on Route 1 in Saugus opened in 2008, and with a Chipotle Mexican Grill just south on Route 1, Luscomb acknowledged that competition played a factor in closing that location.?The competitive environment was a consideration as well as those other factors,” he said. “Boston is a market that aligns really well for our brand and the 18 restaurants in the area perform really well. Qdoba is still expanding and we?re expecting to add 70 to 75 new locations in 2013 and 60 to 70 next year total across our system. Just last month we opened a new restaurant in Swampscott and we?re considering other local development opportunities.”Qdoba opened a new location at Vinnin Square in Swampscott last month, in the space that formerly housed a Blockbuster store.Matt Tempesta can be reached at [email protected].