Chipotle Grill Discovers Some Like It Hot
Jul 1, 1999 12:00 PM, Elaine DeSimone,
The menu may be small, but the food is big. At Chipotle (pronounced Chih-POAT-lay) Mexican Grill, tacos and burritos are the only menu items, but the 20-ounce burritos stuffed with fresh ingredients make for an entire meal.
"We have no can openers, no microwaves and no freezers," says Dan Fogarty, director of marketing for the Denver-based quick-service restaurant chain. "The customer can custom design the burrito."
The food at Chipotle is prepared in front of customers, allowing them to choose what they want in their burrito. The burrito starts with cilantro-lime rice on a tortilla, and guests can select from the following: black or pinto beans, grilled or braised meats, grilled vegetables, guacamole, shredded cheese, sour cream, chopped lettuce and three types of salsas. Servers add a little or a lot of each ingredient, depending on what the customer requests.
"We call it the gourmet restaurant where you eat with your hands," Fogarty says. "The company founder, Steve Ells, liked the concept of a large meal in a handy tortilla wrapped in foil. The burritos and tacos are all under $5."
Ells, now the company's CEO, is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. After working for two years as a chef at a five-star restaurant in San Francisco, Ells came up with the idea of opening a quick-service burrito restaurant serving quality food at reasonable prices. The restaurant is named after the chipotle pepper, a jalapeno pepper that has been toasted and smoked.
The first Chipotle opened in Denver in 1993, near the University of Denver. The chain made national news last year when McDonald's Corp. became a minority investor in the company. There are now 24 locations open in Denver; Kansas City, Kan. and Mo.; Columbus, Ohio; and Minneapolis. By the end of this year, the company plans to open restaurants in Phoenix; Colorado Springs, Colo.; Dallas and Austin, Texas; Chicago; Cleveland; and Washington, D.C.
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