Qdoba plans North Lindenhurst, Riverhead openings in Suffolk expansion

Qdoba is pushing deeper into Suffolk County with planned openings in North Lindenhurst and Riverhead, a sign that national chains still see the county’s suburban corridors as prime growth territory. In North Lindenhurst, the chain lists 136 E Sunrise Hwy as “Opening Soon,” with drive-thru service planned at the site.

The Lindenhurst restaurant was earlier described as a 2,500-square-foot Qdoba that would replace a former Checkers at 136 Sunrise Highway, with an opening expected in the second quarter of 2026. That location puts the brand back into one of western Suffolk’s busiest commercial stretches, where Sunrise Highway traffic and nearby retail activity continue to draw fast-casual operators looking for steady lunch, dinner and drive-thru demand.

Riverhead is next in the company’s Suffolk expansion. Qdoba plans to take over the former Friendly’s property at 949 Old Country Road, where the building is being subdivided for two restaurants. The Qdoba there will include a drive-thru and share a 5,000-square-foot building with another eatery that has not yet been named.

The two openings fit into a broader Long Island rollout led by Burger Brothers Restaurant Group, which holds the exclusive development rights for Qdoba in Nassau and Suffolk counties. The Port Washington-based group is headed by John Froccaro, Jeff Froccaro and Harry Braunstein, and it has already built out a Long Island footprint that began with the first local Qdoba in East Meadow in March 2018. Before that, the brand had a brief earlier run at Broadway Mall in Hicksville.

Since 2018, the operators have opened Qdoba locations in Plainview, Massapequa, Farmingdale, Bay Shore and Hauppauge, with additional sites in Lake Grove, Deer Park, Lindenhurst and Bethpage tied to the same regional expansion plan. Burger Brothers has said it aims to reach 20 restaurants in the region over the next few years.

The expansion also reflects Qdoba’s wider corporate growth strategy. The chain says it has more than 825 restaurants across the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, with nearly 600 more in development. For Suffolk County, the next phase is less about one restaurant opening than about how quickly national brands keep betting on drive-thru-friendly parcels, vacant former chain sites and the county’s dense consumer base.