Mandel of Ripco secures second space for Qdoba

Qdoba Mexican Grill, one of the country's fastest growing restaurant chains, is planning to make New York City one of its strongholds. The company, which opened its first store earlier this summer on 34th St. in Murray Hill, has just signed a lease for its first prime midtown location, a 3,000 s/f restaurant at 875 Third Ave., at the southeast corner of 53rd St. The eatery is expected to open this fall. According to the company's exclusive retail broker, Andrew Mandell of Ripco Real Estate Corp., his firm is intensifying its search for Qdoba locations all over the city. "It's possible we'll be helping our client open as many as 15 to 20 Mexican Grills in Manhattan alone in the very near future," Mandell said.