Qdoba Opens Tuesday in the Village

Wauwatosa's next newest restaurant – they just keep coming – is the familiar face of Qdoba, opening Tuesday in Tosa Village.

Workers are putting the finishing touches on now, and staff is being brought up to speed.

Qdoba regional coach Ric Ramirez was having lunch Wednesday with his new manager and staff when Patch popped in.

"We're excited to be here, and Tosa is excited to have us," Ramirez said. "We've had a number of local residents approaching us, saying 'We can't wait, glad you're here.'"

Ramirez is also excited about several features of the new restaurant, a couple that are also new in the world of Qdoba.

One thing is the natural light they've brought in with a big skylight and windows.

"We're really pleased to have opened up and brightened the room," Ramirez said.

Another is the marquee sign.

"If you're familiar with the brand, you know it says 'Mexican Grill' under 'Qdoba,'" he said. "No more. It's just Qdoba, because we've established our brand so well."

OK, that's exciting to an insider, but tell us something that's going to thrill a customer.

"How about our 'Freestyle' Coke machine?" Ramirez said. "It's pretty awesome. It dispenses 144 flavors."

All right – that's downright Willy Wonka.

On a more serious note, Ramirez said he's heard some concerns about parking, and the landlord of Village Faire mall, 1417 Wauwatosa Ave., is taking steps to help his tenants and their customers.

"Now that the building is filled in, he'll be putting up signs and monitoring the lot," Ramirez said, "so that only customers of these businesses will be parking here."

Those other businesses are Starbucks, Panda Hut, Breadsmith and Baskin-Robbins.

Qdoba will open daily at 10:30 a.m. and close at 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and at 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.