Soldiers line up for food outside the new Qdoba restaurant at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (Luis Garcia/Stars and Stripes)
CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea — Sgt. Armando Estrada, a utilities equipment repairer assigned to the 2nd Infantry Division, was the first customer at the grand opening Thursday of one of two Qdoba restaurants at this Army base.
Estrada, who purchased a drink and a burrito bowl, was one of about a dozen customers who lined up shortly before the Qdoba inside the Family Mini Mall at Humphreys opened for business.
“I wanted to be one of the first, but I didn’t think I was going to be the first person to walk up to it,” Estrada told Stars and Stripes.
Estrada said he was excited about Qdoba’s opening on base due to the dearth of Mexican food options in Pyeongtaek city, about 40 miles south of Seoul.
“I’m Mexican myself and although it’s not 100% Mexican food, it’s something that’s closest to what I can get from home,” he said. “I’m excited because I’ve been to a few places off base and I haven’t seen many Mexican restaurants.”
Bringing Qdoba to Humphreys is part of an initiative by the Army and Air Force Exchange Service to provide healthier food options for service members and their families, two AAFES officials said at the restaurant opening. Qdoba offers pulled pork tacos and other items with less than 600 calories and has vegetarian and vegan options.
An estimated 68% of active-duty troops are overweight or obese, according to an October report published by the American Security Project, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization. The report also determined that obesity rates among active-duty service members had more than doubled from 2012 to 2022.
A second Qdoba restaurant at Humphreys opens Friday at the Sentry Food Court, Air Force Col. Jason Beck, the AAFES Pacific Region commander, told Stars and Stripes on Thursday. A fast-casual style eatery, Qdoba serves Mexican-inspired food at more than 740 locations in the United States and Canada.
Twenty employees have been hired to operate the two restaurants, AAFES general manager George McNamara said Thursday.
Air Force Col. Jason Beck, the Army and Air Force Exchange Service’s Pacific commander, attends Qdoba’s grand opening at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, Thursday, Sep. 12, 2024. (Luis Garcia/Stars and Stripes)
Fast-food Mexican restaurant Qdoba begins operations at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, Thursday, Sep. 12, 2024. (Luis Garcia/Stars and Stripes)
Qdoba first appeared in the Pacific region last month with a franchise at Kadena Air Base and Camp Foster on Okinawa, Japan, according to an AAFES news release Aug. 12. Qdoba restaurants are also at several stateside military bases, such as Fort Carson, Colo., and Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.
The franchise has “proven to be exceptionally popular with the community” in Okinawa and “we anticipate it’s going to be the same thing here,” Beck said.
“The opening of Qdoba at Camp Humphreys in South Korea, in collaboration with [AAFES], is a significant milestone in our international growth,” Qdoba chief growth officer Jeremy Vitaro said in an email Tuesday. “Alongside our recent openings in Okinawa, Japan, we’re proud to bring a taste of home to the brave men and women serving our country overseas, as well as their families.”
Construction of the two restaurants in Humphreys took nearly three months and perishable ingredients are locally sourced, according to Vitaro.
Asked about potential Qdoba locations appearing in other military bases overseas, Vitaro said “there are some plans in the works.”
