Chipotle ~ national chain : Colorado Springs, Colorado

Latest visit: Feb 2023 (Colorado Springs - Galley)

First visit: 1996 (Denver, CO)

The only thing keeping me from adding Chipotle to the mega-chain roundup is that I have history with the chain going back to the beginning. My issue with mega-chains is they tend to be wildly inconsistent. And my issue with Chipotle is it tends to be wildly inconsistent. Just depends on who is the franchise manager, or the store manager. Many times they just "leave the kids in charge", and then it's a crapshoot. On this visit, I got the latter. Was it terrible? Nope. Was it great? Nope. They did the needful. They could care one cent that I was a paying customer. I might as well have been at the high school cafeteria as far as customer service goes. And that goes for the food too. Mostly pre-prepared. On this visit it was clear the beans needed to be refreshed as but one example. When they folded my burrito, they included the aluminum foil in that fold, so I had to unfold it, creating a sloppy mess. I realize these are first world problems - that is to say they aren't tragic, just annoying. But why do I go back when there's so many other restaurants who clamor for my business? I ask myself this often. As the review below suggests, Chipotle can be a great experience. Keyword: can. Starting in 2024, I'll stick Chipotle in the mega chain wrap up (tin foil included), and it will remain to be seen if I go back or not.

Oh - and the Pollo Asado is gone. Of course it is. Still haven't visited our closest location on Interquest. May never.

---original 4/5/22 review

All these years later, and I never did write about Chipotle. But then again I wouldn't normally. There's no McDonalds in here either, for obvious reasons. But I go back to almost the beginning with Chipotle, when they were just a small Denver area chain. In fact we (including the now famous Rude Dante) had gone to the flagship Denver University location a couple of times instead of Anthony's Pizza, on the odd Friday for lunch from work. Founded in 1993, Chipotle had all of 16 locations when McDonalds (see what I did there?) showed up on the scene. Today they have 3000 locations around the world and are in all the states but Hawaii and Alaska. You want to know the weird thing? McDonalds made them better. Much better. They introduced more product and a variety of sauces, including their very hot red, which remains a staple. Chipotle, more than any other chain, were the leaders of the 90s burrito craze.

As with any publicly traded company, dining experiences are going to be wildly inconsistent. I have sworn off Chipotle so many times, it's become something of a running joke. But then I remember how good it once was, and venture back in. This happened recently while near the Citadel Mall area. And I had a great experience, recalling the good old days. The manager on staff was running a tight ship. And they introduced a new offering for the burrito - that of Pollo Asado, an RJG favorite. This location may actually see just as much activity as the primary, as I'm in the area quite a bit and oftentimes need a quick lunch. But the new location is right around the corner, so I can grab it to-go for a fast bite during work. I haven't been yet though.

As of this writing, there are 80 locations in Colorado, including 9 here in the Springs. In our old stomping grounds of NE Tarrant, our primary was in North Richland Hills (Rufe Snow) and it remains open. There's also an active location in the Inner Harbor of Baltimore that I went to a couple of times for lunch.

5/18/17; 10/13/19; 4/5/22 (new entry); 2/13/23