Fast food has been historically cheap. Chipotle worked because it was fast, it was cheap, and you didn’t feel like you were as much of a fat ass compared to grabbing a giant bacon burger and a bucket of fries.
Now you go to chipotle and pay $20 for a burrito and a soda. Still fast, still decent enough (at least the one near me), but $20 is highway robbery.
OR, I can go across the street to a sit down restaurant, have a first generation Thai guy (who started his American dream restaurant) whip up the best damn drunken noodles I’ve ever had for $12. AND he does this FASTER than chipotle (seriously how does he do it? Must be a magic wok).
Doordash is part of the reason it’s not fast anymore. Chipotle, like everywhere else that makes your food on an assembly line as you order it, should take like a minute per person with overlap. Know what you want, have your card ready to pay, enjoy your lunch. But then a driver cuts straight to the register to grab an order of six burritos and a salad that is only half ready because most places wait until the last second to put take-out orders together (fewer complaints about cold/soggy food) which delays the whole process. Repeat every five minutes.
I mean, even like 2018 it wasn’t uncommon to stand in line at my local Chipotle for 15-20 minutes. No DoorDash orders, no online orders. Just really slow workers, but also understaffed, and somehow always waiting for something (rice, veggies, anything from the grill). I mean I can talk that up to poor management.
The problem is that Chipotle was never really fast food, they were one of the pioneers of the Fast Casual concept, where it was good food, served quickly, but not necessarily cheap. They never really intended to compete against McDonalds head to head. They wanted to be something different.
I hate this so much. Like they roll it, wrap it, then make it into a football shape. I laughed so hard the last time I got a burrito from there. It tried to mush it back into an appropriate shape but eventually I gave up and put the innards on a plate
Sometimes I’m just out with coworkers but not starving. I used to get a cheese and chicken quesadilla. It used to cost $4 and change. Then they started charging burrito prices - $15 and change for a tortilla, a handful of shredded cheese and 1/4 of a chicken breast. I get there is regional pricing differences - but their costs (at least here) are out of control.
It’s funny how companies just don’t get it.
Fast food has been historically cheap. Chipotle worked because it was fast, it was cheap, and you didn’t feel like you were as much of a fat ass compared to grabbing a giant bacon burger and a bucket of fries.
Now you go to chipotle and pay $20 for a burrito and a soda. Still fast, still decent enough (at least the one near me), but $20 is highway robbery.
OR, I can go across the street to a sit down restaurant, have a first generation Thai guy (who started his American dream restaurant) whip up the best damn drunken noodles I’ve ever had for $12. AND he does this FASTER than chipotle (seriously how does he do it? Must be a magic wok).
Guess where we grab lunch these days.
Chipotle wasn’t that fast. They were locally blacklisted by a lot of doordash drivers due to the wait.
Doordash is part of the reason it’s not fast anymore. Chipotle, like everywhere else that makes your food on an assembly line as you order it, should take like a minute per person with overlap. Know what you want, have your card ready to pay, enjoy your lunch. But then a driver cuts straight to the register to grab an order of six burritos and a salad that is only half ready because most places wait until the last second to put take-out orders together (fewer complaints about cold/soggy food) which delays the whole process. Repeat every five minutes.
I mean, even like 2018 it wasn’t uncommon to stand in line at my local Chipotle for 15-20 minutes. No DoorDash orders, no online orders. Just really slow workers, but also understaffed, and somehow always waiting for something (rice, veggies, anything from the grill). I mean I can talk that up to poor management.
The problem is that Chipotle was never really fast food, they were one of the pioneers of the Fast Casual concept, where it was good food, served quickly, but not necessarily cheap. They never really intended to compete against McDonalds head to head. They wanted to be something different.
We pre-cook as much as we can in Asian restaurants. The wok isn’t magic, the chicken/beef/pork is already 75% cooked.
and it almost always tastes fucking great, unlike fast food nowadays
That’s (probably) the oil and magic salivary granules doing mystical things
Magic salivary granuals is a wonderful turn of phrase/euphemism.
My issue with chipotle has always been that the food is lukewarm.
I’m not paying 20 dollars for a lukewarm, lightly seasoned burrito.
And whoever rolls those burritos hears “roll” and thinks "roll of bread"and doesn’t understand that a burrito is supposed to be long.
It’s the same problem as burger makers making their burgers TALL. Like bro, that’s the wrong shape for the format of fitting in my mouth.
Say no to chode burritos.
I hate this so much. Like they roll it, wrap it, then make it into a football shape. I laughed so hard the last time I got a burrito from there. It tried to mush it back into an appropriate shape but eventually I gave up and put the innards on a plate
A longer cylindrical burrito means that they didn’t put the maximum amount of filling inside.
The more stuff you put in, the rounder the burrito has to be. That’s why you couldn’t reshape it to be a cylinder.
Next time get a fork and eat about a third of the filling, then you’ll be able to rewrap it.
I think the ideal hand burrito from an aesthetic perspective is around 3x long as diameter.
Place near me (Mucho Burrito) will straight up use a second tortilla if you get too much filling.
Chipotle Burrito and a small fountain soda is $14 in my area. Its certainly risen in price over the last 6 years.
Sometimes I’m just out with coworkers but not starving. I used to get a cheese and chicken quesadilla. It used to cost $4 and change. Then they started charging burrito prices - $15 and change for a tortilla, a handful of shredded cheese and 1/4 of a chicken breast. I get there is regional pricing differences - but their costs (at least here) are out of control.