Chipotle Mexican Grill's pros and cons
Our food blogger shares her thoughts after visiting the sustainable chain restaurant for the first time.
Photo: gregglesworth/Flickr - Sustainably sourced food. Even if it’s not always sourced sustainably, they do so often. And, according to the menu board, they even source locally when possible.
- Control over what goes in your tortilla. The employees build your taco or burrito or bowl right in front of you. You can look at the ingredients, ask questions and decide what you want.
- Flexibility in the menu. I didn’t want a whole meal or even a two taco meal. All I wanted was one small, soft taco. I was able to get that even though it wasn’t an option on the menu.
- Knowledgeable employees. Since it was our first time there, I asked a lot of questions. The girl behind the counter making our food answered them all. Once in a while, she was reading off of a paper taped in front of her, but I was impressed that someone made sure the paper was there.
The kids menu is a smaller portion of the adult menu. Chipotle didn’t feel the need to add sugary treats or toys to entice the kids.- Good beverage choices. Yes, there was a traditional soda fountain, but there were organic milk options and bottled sparkling fruit juice with no added sugar, too. They also had a selection of beers.
- The food tasted good. There were eight of us eating, and everyone liked what they ordered.
- The bowl used for rice and bean bowls and the tray that my son’s kids meal came on (pictured at right) were made from material that looked to be easily biodegradable or compostable under the right conditions.
- The food was very salty. I’m someone who likes salt so I was surprised at that I noticed it. Several of us mentioned that the food seemed overly salted. However, my friend who doesn’t use a lot of salt didn’t seem to think so.
- There were three trash cans in the store that I saw, and each one had a sign that said to place bottles (plastic and glass) in the receptacle next to them so they could be recycled. However, the entire time we were there, there were no receptacles next to them. The trash cans were full of bottles as well as the other trash, and when the workers emptied them, the bottles went out with the trash.
Do you eat at Chipotle? What is your impression?
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Comments
I love there food better than Qdoba because everything is so fresh
I like our local Chiptole restaurant, but am concerned that most of their meals are quite high in fat, salt, and calories.
The receptacle is right in front of the trashcan (hanging on it). The sign that says to put them on the receptacle is actually ON the receptacle, itself. So if you read the sign, then that means there was a receptacle there. I am glad you enjoyed your first experience!
Just as an F.Y.I., the recycling program that we use includes a rack that is attached to the outside of the round trash cans that holds bottles, cans, etc until one of our team members brings it to the back and places the recyclable bottles into a seperate and specific receptacle (lined w a recycled trash can liner). I am glad that your list of Pros was longer that the Cons!! Thanks for trying us out and we hope to see you back soon!
i think specifically picking out cons (like no recycling bins) that are most likely location-specific and due to that one manager's oversight isn't a fair assessment. It's like saying a particular employee was rude, so you think the whole chain is bad. What people care about is how the 'integrity-full' food tastes. Thus, I find this review marginally helpful. I also frequent Chipotle and love it. The food has *flavour* -- the kind that mean healthy, not there-to-mask-calories -- which a lot of.... More
Amber I dont think the blogger was negative in her cons at all..I think being that it was her first time she may have overlooked the recycle bin because Ive been to many Chipotles and have never noticed one..lol..Overall all I would say her "opinion" would match most Chipotle lovers.
