Chipotle Mexican Grill
4 years ago, most of us had never heard of Chipotle. Now, the burrito joint is a hugely popular dine-out option for teens and adults alike. Founded in 1993 by Steve Ells, a classically trained chef with 5-star restaurant experience, Chipotle currently has 330 locations in the US, 11 of which are in the Bay Area.
While Chipotle probably isn’t a particularly health-conscious restaurant in the balanced nutrition sense, the restaurant is committed to using ingredients with integrity, such as natural meat. Their prices are also pretty student-friendly, and I like that their assembly-line style ordering process allows me to create exactly the burrito/taco I’m craving that day. By far the biggest downside is that a standard burrito, not including chips or a drink, will supply you with 1000+ calories – over half the daily caloric intake in just one meal.
Although their website isn’t very user-friendly, it does allow you to place an order online to avoid the lines. For more reviews, check out Yelp or Citysearch, or click here for an interview with Steve Ells about his burrito chain.
Fred Said,
August 19, 2006 @ 8:25 pm
I can’t imagine having a burrito be over 1000 calories. For comparison, a standard Big Mac is about 570 calories. That must be a massive burrito!
Lea Said,
August 24, 2006 @ 1:14 pm
The portions are pretty big. One idea is to share a burrito and then share chips and guacamole, too. Their guac is great.
Still a hefty meal, but the ingredients are quality, so it’s hard to feel too bad about it.
Chipotle just expanded into the Triangle area of North Carolina–and we’re happy about that!
- L
Feel Good Fast Food » Steve Ells on Chipotle’s Food with Integrity Said,
July 20, 2007 @ 9:05 am
[…] menu can be very high calorie (see our past post about this). And Ells admits “You certainly could argue that Chipotle doesn’t have as […]