Okay, would someone like to explain how a Qdoba turned into a weekend music hotspot? I think of them as the place where I can get something still allegedly called a "burrito" made with no beans and extra mango salsa. Yes, it's awesome, but it's the kind of place you go when you don't have time to eat a real meal but can't bear one more day of returning to the office with greasy french fry stains on the front of your shirt.
I suspect the answer is location, luck, and location. There are a couple perpetually packed Qdoba's out on the east end (on the corner of Hurstbourne and Shelbyville, in the new Westport Villiage shopping center and in The Summit) but they're merely places to eat - not places to hang out.
The musical goodness happens at one Qdoba only - the one at the corner of Bardstown Road and Eastern Parkway. This Qdoba doesn't sprinkle magical musical fairy dust into the food, but they do happen to have a nice outdoor space in a trendy part of town as well as a liquor license. Throw in affordable eats and the next thing you know you have something completely unexpected on your hands.
I wish the management at the Westport Villiage or The Summit Qdoba's would take a page from their Bardstown Road location's book. Imagine if Saturday night concerts came with that same good affordable food, cheap beer, a different but equally nice outdoor space, and ample parking...on the East End. A girl can dream.
Meanwhile, you can catch live acts at the Bardstown location for free. Their last Party on the Patio featured the Bobby Falk Group (which you can also catch playing live Jazz at Comedy Caravan on the last Monday of every month at at Qdoba again June 20.) If you live in the neighborhood, stop by to see who's playing next. If you don't, pester your local Qdoba into following suit.
