Burrito Stimulus Package

That headline? It's from the press release I was sent but I couldn't help myself from using it. You just know there are going to be six million stimulus package/fuel cost relief puns, promotions and gimicks this summer and fall. Most of them are going to suck but "Burrito Stimulus Package" is pretty funny.

Remember when I told you how deeply conflicted I am about chain restaurants the other day? I should have confessed then that there are 2 or 3 chain restaurants I can't help but love. Qdoba is one of them. I still remember the days when it was called Z-Teca and moved into that spot at Bardstown and Eastern Parkway. Those were happy, happy days that found me eating way too many chicken burritos (mmmm chicken burritos). I think Qdoba's loyalty card/frequent buyer program pretty much sucks though and I very rarely eat there anymore due to just how many calories are actually in a yummy chicken burrito. However from time to time I can't resist walking down Bardstown Road and enjoying a burrito on the patio. In any case Qdoba is running a special for summer that's pretty good: get a free entree after purchasing five. 

With food costs rising their fastest in 17 years according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and gas prices well above $4 per gallon, Qdoba Mexican Grill® introduces a new way to help Kentuckians' paychecks go further.  With the purchase of every five entrées from July 7 to September 1, loyal customers with a Qdoba card earn a free entrée: that's twice as fast as before.

Rising energy and commodity prices have forced the Consumer Price Index up 4% in the first quarter of 2008 (up from last year's overall rise of 2.8%), and many families are feeling the pinch at the grocery and the gas pump.

"We wanted to find a way to help people in Kentuckiana who are fed up with rising gas prices," says Lauren Carpenter, marketing director of ZT of Louisville, LLC., which owns 23 Qdoba restaurants in three states. "Giving them a free meal more quickly allows diners to get a lot more for their money this summer."

Qdoba's Love Ya Back Summer Bonus promotion starts July 7 and runs through Labor Day at every Kentucky Qdoba Mexican Grill. To take advantage of the promotion, customers must pick up the free Qdoba loyalty card available at any location and register the card online at www.iloveqdoba.com.