Chipotle vs. Qdoba Blind Taste Test

There is a very good chance you have had the following debate at least once in your life: which is better, Chipotle or Qdoba? Many of my friends lean heavily on either end of the spectrum.

I'm not joking: A high school friend refused to go to a college that did not have a Chipotle in walking distance. Since there is only a Qdoba on Nassau Street, I guess Princeton was out of the question for her. Others feel Qdoba wins the game: its guacamole is fresher, and the rice is better, so they say.

Six of my lovely fellow Princeton Tigers—Anna, Selah, Katie, Aloh, Enji, and Joe—agreed to take part in a blindfolded taste test. We had five rounds, comparing Chipotle and Qdoba items: chips, guac, beef, chicken, and rice. My lovely assistant Casey and I kept track of which restaurant's food items were tried first during each round.

Here is an example of a round: Let's say chips. Casey and I gave each person a Chipotle chip, then a Qdoba chip. The first question that I asked was, "Which restaurant do you think the first chip came from?" Using their hands, they held up a C for Chipotle, or a Q for Qdoba. The second question was, "which chip did you like better?" The taste testers answered by holding up a 1 or 2.

In the analysis below, I have translated this according to which restaurant the food item came from. Only at the end of both questions were they told the correct answer.

Round One: Chicken

1. Where did the first bite of chicken come from? (Actually Qdoba)

N/A           Qdoba     Qdoba    N/A        Qdoba            Qdoba

2. Out of the two options, which one did you like better?

N/A           Chipotle  Chipotle  N/A             Chipotle     Chipotle 

I was shocked to say that in the first round, we had a clear winner. Not only did every taste-tester answer the first question correctly, but they unanimously felt Chipotle chicken was better. So, if you love Chipotle more for the chicken, I guess I would have to believe you. (Note: Aloh and Katie are vegetarian, so they stepped out for the round.)

Round Two: Chips

So, if you love Chipotle more for the chicken, I guess I would have to believe you. (Note: Aloh and Katie are vegetarian, so they stepped out for the round.)

1. Where did the first chip come from? (Actually Qdoba)

2. Out of the two options, which one did you like better?

Qdoba       Qdoba   Chipotle   Qdoba      Qdoba       Chipotle 

Interestingly, most taste-testers answered the first question incorrectly. Even more interesting, only Joe and Enji answered the same to both questions. Overall, looks like its pretty even on the chip front. However, after trying them myself, I judged that Chipotle chips have a stronger taste of lime, and Qdoba chips are saltier.

Round Three: Beef

Overall, looks like its pretty even on the chip front. However, after trying them myself, I judged that Chipotle chips have a stronger taste of lime, and Qdoba chips are saltier.

1. Where did the first bite of beef come from? (Actually Chipotle)

N/A           Chipotle  Chipotle  N/A            Chipotle     Qdoba

2. Out of the two options, which one did you like better?

N/A           Chipotle  Qdoba    N/A            Chipotle     Qdoba 

Although three quarters of the taste testers got the first question right, there were mixed reviews on which beef tasted better. This is interesting, because there appears to be a clear taste difference between Chipotle and Qdoba beef, but the better beef is still up for debate.

Round Four: Rice

1. Where did the first bite of rice come from? (Actually Qdoba)

Chipotle   Chipotle  Qdoba    Chipotle   Chipotle    Chipotle

2. Out of the two options, which one did you like better

1. Where did the first bite of rice come from? (Qdoba)

Qdoba      Qdoba    Qdoba    Chipotle     Qdoba       Qdoba

Everybody except Joe got the first question wrong! However, the answer to which rice was better went almost unanimously to Qdoba…. Based on question two, it looks like Qdoba rice wins this battle. I was really surprised by these results; I would have assumed rice would be really hard to decipher.

Round Five: Guacamole

1. Where did the first bite of guac come from? (Actually Chipotle)

Qdoba      Chipotle  Qdoba    Chipotle   Chipotle     Chipotle

2. Out of the two options, which one did you like better?

Chipotle   Chipotle  Qdoba    Chipotle   Chipotle     Chipotle

Although we had some mixed answers to question number one, it looks like Chipotle guac came out on top. So if guac is the reason behind your preference for Chipotle, it might just be a legitimate reason.

You might think six people may not be an adequate subject pool for a legitimate experiment, but a few things definitely were learned. Chipotle chicken and guac seem to be victorious over Qdoba's, and Qdoba rice seems to have prevailed over that of Chipotle. However, for the rest of the rounds these two Mexican food chains maintained pretty even scores. If you want, look into the results for a more in depth analysis. If you are like me, my overall take-away is all Mexican food (from Chipotle and Qdoba) is good Mexican food.

If you are like me, your overall take-away is that all Mexican food (from Chipotle and Qdoba) is good Mexican food.