Chipotle

Tired of eating burgers and pizza? Does a warm tortilla filled with fresh chicken, crispy green lettuce, mild salsa, and sour cream sound absolutely delicious? Are you short on time but still want food that isn’t fried and over processed? If you answered yes to any of the previous questions fear not, I know just the place. With over 2,408 restaurants in five different countries, Chipotle(CHIH-POAT-LAY) Mexican Grill is one of the hottest food chains on the block. Fortunately, the University of Pittsburgh has an on-campus location right on the 3000 block of Forbes Avenue.

A Little History

According to The Balance Small Business, the first Chipotle restaurant was opened in 1993 in Denver, Colorado by Steve Ells. Ells held the position of CEO from 1993 up until November 2017 when he announced that he would be stepping down. In March of 2018, Brian Niccol, the CEO of Taco Bell, became the new CEO of Chipotle.

Despite E-coli breakouts in 2015, the restaurant chain remains popular, especially with college students. Chipotle is very transparent when it comes to their ingredients. A list of all 51 of their ingredients, is listed on the company’s home page. With only 51 ingredients, Chipotle offers five different options on their menu. These options include burritos, crispy corn tacos, soft flour tacos, burrito bowls, and salads(they also have a kids’ menu!).

The Ordering Process

The way the ordering process works at Chipotle is very similar to an assembly line. When it is your turn to order the first question you are asked is “What can I get for you today?”. If you are getting a burrito, a large tortilla will be placed in the warmer for approximately 10 seconds, if you are getting a bowl, a prepped bowl filled with lettuce is grabbed, and if you are getting a regular bowl, an empty bowl is grabbed. Next, you must choose white or brown rice, and either pinto or black beans followed by a choice of meat. Chipotle offers steak cubes, chicken cubes, chorizo (for a limited time only), barbacoa, carnitas, and sofritas(shredded tofu). Following your choice of meat, you are can choose mild, medium, or hot salsa, cheese, sour cream, and for a little more than $2 you can add guacamole! You can also choose to add fajitas(peppers) and lettuce to your creation.

 

Secret Menu?

When I go to Chipotle, my go to favorite is a secret menu item, a chicken and cheese quesadilla with a side of sour cream. The quesadilla is made by taking a warm tortilla, filling it with chicken and then cheese, folding it in half and then placing it in the warmer for about five minutes which gets the cheese nice and gooey. Another secret way to upgrade your bowl is to ask for chips in it! By adding chips you’ve transformed your burrito bowl into nachos! Ask for a tortilla on the side with your bowl to maximize fillings for a burrito, the only con is you have to construct it yourself.

Overall Review

The Chipotle here on Forbes Avenue is fast and usually takes about 10 minutes for me to go in and get my food. This is convenient for me because during the week, I feel like my time is very limited and I do not like to waste it, especially not while eating. I also enjoy Chipotle because it is a fair price. A chicken quesadilla costs $6.54 which is very affordable for me. For those of you familiar with Q’doba, their quesadillas cost over $8 which in my opinion, is way too much to pay for a tortilla filled with cheese and meat. Although I do think very highly of Chipotle, I have had some bad experiences, like when the cheese in my quesadilla is not completely melted. In this event, the workers are happy to make me a new one! To my Chipotle nubes who have yet to have it, what are you waiting for?

 

What’s your favorite thing to get from Chipotle?