Qdoba Mexican Grill Launches "Cans For Queso" In Portland This Holiday Season

Locally owned and operated Qdoba Oregon is hosting a major food drive with a goal to collect 25 thousand pounds of food for the Oregon Food Bank Network, and, if successful, will make it one of the largest independent food drives of the holiday season. End Quote

Portland-Vancouver, OR-WA (1888PressRelease) December 06, 2011 - Local food drive to support the Oregon Food Bank Network.

Qdoba Mexican Grill®, a leader in the fast-casual industry known for its innovative and fresh Mexican cuisine options, is launching a "Cans for Queso" food drive this holiday season at all of its Oregon and Vancouver area locations to support the Oregon Food Bank Network (OFB), a statewide coalition fighting hunger in Oregon and southwest Washington. Qdoba Oregon's goal is to collect 25 thousand pounds of food for the OFB Network and, if successful, will make it one of the largest independent food drives of the holiday season.

According to U.S. Census data, poverty has increased significantly in Oregon, leaving more than 535 thousand Oregonians now living below the poverty line. And for the first time ever, distribution of emergency food boxes in Oregon and Clark County, Washington topped 1 million as growing levels of long-term unemployment forced more and more people to fall into poverty and to seek emergency food.

QdobaOregon, a locally-owned company and employer of 200 local employees, together with its partners, the Portland Trailblazers, the Oregon Ducks and the Oregon State Beavers, is sponsoring a "Cans for Queso" food drive to help replenish supplies at regional food banks to meet this demand.

Starting Monday, Dec. 5, through Sunday, Dec.18, guests can bring canned goods or other non-perishable items into any of the participating Qdoba locations. Each donor who brings at least three cans of food will receive a free order of Qdoba's signature 3-Cheese Queso and handmade tortilla chips.

"With the holiday season approaching, it has been disconcerting to read the news reports about the increased demand for emergency food at a time when supplies are catastrophically low, said Stan Kramer, owner of Qdoba Oregon.

"As a local businessman, I want to make a difference. I have thousands of customers who care about their community. Additionally, I have partnerships with three of the most influential organizations in Oregon; the Blazers, the Ducks and the Beavers. This is an opportunity to think big, very big. By partnering, we have the opportunity to execute a major independent food drive of the year at a time when it is most needed".

If Qdoba reaches its target, they will have donated more than $30,000 of chips and queso and, more importantly, more than 600 families will be fed with the proceeds from this drive.

"I have never seen the demand for emergency food this high; Joblessness is taking a tremendous toll on our families. Hiring has stalled, keeping Oregon's unemployment rate high." said Rachel Bristol, CEO, Oregon Food Bank. We were only able to meet this staggering demand for emergency food with the tremendous generosity of local businesses like Qdoba Oregon. We are pleased to partner with Qdoba in the 'Cans for Queso' drive to help fight hunger and feed hope in the Portland area."

This offer is valid once per person, per day, with no additional purchase necessary. "Cans for Queso" is available at the following participating Qdoba locations:

Beaverton
4655 SW Griffith Drive
Beaverton, OR 97005
Phone: 503.643.5820

Camas, WA
55 NE 192nd Ave, suite 101
Camas, WA 98607
Phone: 360-448-6996

Corvallis
2001 NW Monroe Ave. #105
Corvallis, OR 97330
Phone: 541-757-2800

Downtown Portland
505 SW Taylor Street
Portland, OR 97205
Phone: 503.241.1144

Hillsboro
2288 NW Allie Ave., # 850
Hillsboro, OR 97124
Phone: 503.645.2244

Lloyd District
825 NE Weidler St.
Portland, OR 97232
Phone: 503.688.5551

Tigard
7132 SW Hazel Fern
Tigard, OR 97224
Phone: 503.670.7800

Wilsonville
30040 SW Boones Ferry Road, Suite 24
Wilsonville, OR 97070
Phone: 503.783.171

Eugene
840 E. 13th Ave.
Eugene, OR 97401
Phone: 541-343-2720

ABOUT QDOBA MEXICAN GRILL®
Qdoba Mexican Grill is a Mexican kitchen where anyone can go to enjoy a fresh, handcrafted meal prepared right in front of them. Each Qdoba restaurant showcases food that celebrates Qdoba's passion for ingredients, a menu full of innovative flavors, handcrafted preparation and inviting service. Founded in Denver in 1995, Qdoba is among the nation's largest Mexican fast-casual chains with more than 550 restaurants in 42 states and the District of Columbia. Qdoba is a wholly owned subsidiary of Jack in the Box Inc. (NASDAQ: JACK). Franchise development rights exist for additional Qdoba Mexican Grill restaurants in areas throughout the nation. For more information about Qdoba or about franchising opportunities with the company, please visit www.qdoba.com.

ABOUT OREGON FOOD BANK NETWORK
The Oregon Food Bank Network is a collaborative, statewide coalition of 20 regional food banks working to eliminate hunger and its root causes. The OFB Network works with 923 partner agencies throughout Oregon and Clark County, Wash., to help nearly 1 in 5 households fend off hunger.

http://www.qdobaoregon.com

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