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The closure of a Qdoda Mexican Grill restaurant at 9 N. Meridian St. leaves no first-floor tenants in the King Cole building that’s been announced as the future home of a hotel.
The Qdoba fast-casual restaurant just off Monument Circle in downtown Indianapolis served customers from January 1999 until this holiday season, when exterior signage was removed and a handwritten note of “Closed … till the next episode” was placed in the front door.
Two of Qdoba’s first-floor restaurant neighbors, Jimmy John’s and the Boiling, exited the building in 2019.
A location of the Jimmy John’s sandwich chain subsequently opened at 135 N. Pennsylvania St. The Boiling seafood restaurant moved to 14 E. Washington St. and changed its name to Crab 99 Bar and Restaurant.
Chicago-based developer The Gettys Group announced in September 2019 that it would convert the King Cole building at the intersection of Washington and Meridian streets into a Motto hotel—a flag under the Hilton family of hotel brands. Despite minimal indications that this transformation is in progress, representatives of Gettys and Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. told the IBJ in January 2024 that the project is still alive.
Attempts on Monday to reach representatives of Gettys and Hilton were unsuccessful.
Built in 1915, the 11-story structure picked up its King Cole name because fine-dining restaurant King Cole operated in the basement from 1957 to 1994.
The subterranean spot later was home to Nicky Blaine’s Cocktail Lounge, which moved across the street to 20 N. Meridian St. in 2005. Restaurants BL&T (a “bacon, legs and turntables” concept) and the Boiling followed.
Attempts to reach representatives of Qdoba, a chain founded in Denver in 1995, also were unsuccessful. The Meridian Street restaurant originally opened as Z-Teca Mexican Grill a few months before the company changed its name to Qdoba.
More than a dozen Qdoba restaurants continue to operate in central Indiana.
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“Despite minimal indications that this transformation is in progress,”
Still?
I’ve eaten a lot of Qdoba in my days at many locations but things have gone downhill since the latest private equity purchase.
The project is still alive as of January 2024, that was a year ago with no activity. The building has become an eyesore on the prominent corner of the City.
Good. This, nor Chipotle, have never been good. Well, I suppose they were once good enough for even Indiana.
Give your alternate in the fast casual Mexican space.
There are at least two, one on Lafayette and the other on Michigan Road. Their presence or absence does not impact the fact that Qdoba and Chipotle are hot garbage.
I’m glad they’re so good you can name them. There’s 11 Mexican places on Lafayette Road alone between 38th Street and 465. Add to the discourse.
The names aren’t relevant to the low quality of Qdoba or Chipotle. I’m not even sure how that matters in any respect. There are more than 11 Mexican restaurants along that segment of Lafayette Rd, but only one that can be classified as fast casual. But again, its existence doesn’t weaken or strengthen the position that these chain places are not good.
If you went to a stockbroker who told you that your portfolio was trash and refused to even name one single alternative to your chosen investments, what would you do with their advice, other than likely find it entirely unhelpful and a waste of the time you spent reading or hearing it?
Don’t engage with Murray R. He’s THEE most negative person to ever leave comments on IBJ. ALL of his posts are sour. He’s the stereotypical “get off my lawn” old man.
You’re right. I should feign dismay that a place that was bad ten years ago, and worse at the time of closing, has closed.
I remember it was much better when it was Z-Tecca