JBX Jack IN The Box

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Oct. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- QCarolina Restaurants LLC, led by former Bojangles' CEO Joe Drury, announces the acquisition of Qdoba Mexican Grill restaurants which currently operates 16 restaurants in North Carolina and 2 in Tennessee. Qdoba, a leader in the fast, casual Mexican food category, is known for great food served in a relaxed casual atmosphere. "Our group is excited about the Qdoba brand as we have been watching it closely the past few years," says Tom Lewison, President and CEO of QCarolina. "We are dedicated to making Qdoba the best restaurant in the fast, casual Mexican food category by offering a great menu in a casual and affordable dining environment," adds Lewison. QCarolina Restaurant ownership group is made up of Tom Lewison, Joe Drury, Bill Branstrom and Keith Stoneman. This local, veteran restaurant team has more than 100 years of restaurant management and development experience. Drury served as Chairman and CEO of fast-growing Bojangles' from 2001 until 2006. Tom Lewison also served as Bojangles' President and COO. The acquisition makes QCarolina Restaurants one of the top 5 largest Qdoba franchisees in the Qdoba chain. "Tom Lewison and his team bring an abundance of restaurant knowledge and years of successful operations to the table," said Richard Pugh, chief operations officer for Qdoba. "We could not be more excited to have them on board to help grow the Qdoba brand." QCarolina Restaurants will initially concentrate on upgrading facilities and operations in their 18 existing locations. The group also has an aggressive plan to open 5 new restaurants per year throughout its territory of North Carolina and Tennessee. "Our goal is to take an already good Qdoba franchise and make it great," commented Lewison. QCarolina Restaurants' mission is to serve great food, fast in a clean and friendly environment while creating opportunities for its employees. About Qdoba Mexican Grill In 1995, Anthony Miller opened the first Qdoba Mexican Grill restaurant in Denver with partner Robert Hauser. With one-of-a-kind offerings like Qdoba Signature Burritos, Qdoba won over customers and critics alike. Denver's Gabby Gourmet restaurant critic named Qdoba one of the top 15 inexpensive restaurants in Colorado. In addition, both the Denver Post and Westword named Qdoba "Best Burrito." Obviously, it was an idea whose time had come. Fast, fresh Mexican flavors that were anything but old-fashioned refried beans and Spanish rice, prepared right in front of the patrons with only the freshest ingredients. In just a few years, the concept has grown to include over 440 Qdoba Mexican Grills from coast to coast. In 2003, Qdoba was acquired by Jack in the Box Inc., a publicly traded (NYSE:JBX) restaurant company headquartered in San Diego. In addition to Qdoba, Jack in the Box Inc. operates and franchises more than 1,900 Jack in the Box(R) restaurants, the nation's first major drive-thru hamburger chain. The company also operates its own proprietary brand of convenience store called Quick Stuff(R). Qdoba Mexican Grill operates separately from Jack in the Box restaurants. About QCarolina Restaurants, LLC QCarolina Restaurants, LLC is headquartered in Charlotte, NC and is an operating company held by individual business investors. There are also common ownership interests in Piedmont Pizzeria, and JF Restaurants, LLC. Piedmont Pizzeria owns the right to the Donatos Pizza franchise operations in North Carolina and currently operates 14 stores. JF Restaurants, LLC is the owner and operator of Just Fresh Kitchen Bistro and Just Fresh Express Restaurants with a total of 7 locations. Ownership of each franchise creates a positively unique opportunity to share and market three distinct concepts within the ownership territory. Each restaurant concept will be growing within itself and parallel to each other in the future. DATASOURCE: QCarolina Restaurants LLC CONTACT: Tom Lewison of QCarolina Restaurants, LLC, +1-704-731-8446

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