Chipotle is struggling as it searches for a new CEO, but it doesn't matter because its biggest rival is way better - here's why

Hollis Johnson/Business Insider

Qdoba makes a tasty burrito.

• The past few years haven't been too good for Chipotle, with E. coli scares, lackluster menu additions, and a weakened reputation.
• But there's something better than Chipotle: Qdoba.
• With a more interesting menu, better pricing, and an inimitable queso, Qdoba beats Chipotle across the board.

Chipotle isn't the shining star it used to be.

It announced in November that its founder and CEO, Steve Ells, would be stepping down as the chain works to recover its reputation in the wake of its 2015 E.coli outbreak. Yet in spite of - or, perhaps in some cases, because of - its numerous failures, Chipotle lingers in the public consciousness and maintains its grip on the Tex-Mex fast-casual market.

Merely two years after Chipotle was founded in Denver, Colorado, in 1993, another Tex-Mex chain, called Qdoba, sprung up in the same city.

While it has labored more or less in Chipotle's shadow, Qdoba is, without a doubt, superior in nearly every way. It has a more interesting menu, less fuss, and a sterling reputation - not to mention free guac.

Having recently revisited Chipotle to see how the chain is doing, I decided to go back to my one true Tex-Mex chain love to compare.