Chipotle Mexican Grill

After a busy hiatus working on brands all over The River, we are back in the Garage and we’re feeling a little hungry. Let’s take a drive up the road there. How about that place. Yeah, right there, on the left. Chipotle Mexican Grill.

Founder Steve Ells has the place cooking in every way, foodwise and businesswise. How about this for a tagline: “Food With Integrity.” We think he means it.

It’s not a marketing slogan, he explains on the Chipotle website. It’s about an authentic experience with fresh ingredients. He talks about food that’s better tasting, from better sources, that’s better for the environment, better for the animals and the farmers who raise them. It’s
better for the people who eat at this all fast food grill that’s anti-fast food in every way.

The food is unprocessed, seasonal, family-farmed, naturally raised, sustainable, nutritious, free of added hormones, organic and artisanal. Whew, that sentence alone will work up an appetite.

Chipotle serves more naturally raised meat than any restaurant in the country, manages its locations differently and has a very earth-friendly agenda. And a Big Mac sugar daddy too: McDonald’s. Ronald Mac knows a good investment when he tastes one.

Let’s open up a burrito.

TT: Talk about thinking outside the bun, they’re thinking outside the tortilla – and inside, too. The place doesn’t just look different than other fast food joints and it doesn’t just taste different. It feels different. The entire experience is fresher, more personal. The design is sparse but friendly. The food is totally unlike what you get when you make a run for the border. McDonald’s knows a good investment when they see one.

Steve Ells started the idea based on those fresh taquerias in San Francisco so he could make some cash flow to start the big restaurant he’d always wanted to open. To his pleasant surprise, Chipotle has turned into that amazing restaurant times 500.

On my first visit I knew this was going to be different: The size of the chunk of fresh burrito in the foil and the astounding taste that was oh so un-burrito-ish. I was hooked. But I couldn’t eat it all.

GS: I’ll take three-soft with carnitas, please. And the pico with a scoop of guac, too.

A brief but memorable stint of my so-called life was spent in America’s Riviera, San Diego. Among the things that made it so memorable were the countless and outstanding taco stands that dotted the region. Of those, I still dream of one called Roberto’s. I swear their flour tortillas must be laced with narcotics because I am hooked. In fact, to this day I have friends who live out West smuggle them to me like tortilla drug mules (shhh… don’t tell the state border patrol).

After moving from SoCal, I thought my fresh taqueria days were over. And then Chipotle came along and I was in soft taco heaven all over again. And in the case of Chipotle, the road to soft taco heaven is paved with gold – or at least $822.8 million in annual sales and 15,000 employees. And the secret to the success seems to be reflected in their whole attitude — simple, fresh, honest food (with a healthy dash of creative spice).

TT: They have definitely taken the Mexican food paradigm and twisted it for maximum effect in all the right places. The ads and communications are interestingly simple, fast food smart and brandingly focused. Messages that drive the brand on cups and napkins are good ways to, well, drive the brand. When you go in a Chipotle, the people seem to like their jobs, too. The manager (or someone doing a darned good imitation) seems to always be handy and helpful and passionate about the experience. The people chat in a friendly way, unlike some fast food situations (I use the word “situation” because it seems to fit better than “experience” in so many fast food establishments). The environment is stripped-down creative and the food is so fresh that you smell fresh prep when you walk in the door. If you’re going to have a fast food formula, this is a good direction, to be sure.

GS: I remember the first time I walked into one I though they were still under construction. The overly simple environment is both disarming and amazing all at once. It’s just like their food. Simple. Bold. Unique. You don’t feel like you’re in a greasy, cookie-cutter chain, and you can’t say that about everyone.

TT: The competition isn’t just Mexican food, either. Chipotle is chewing a few bites out of other fast food as well.

GS: Yep, “fast food alley” has become a bustling boulevard of frenetic fare covering everything from burgers to Subways to pizza to egg rolls to smoothies and just about anything and everything else digestible (and a few things not). And all compete to expand our waistlines while thinning our wallets.

One might think only Taco Bell would worry, but some of Chipotle’s most-cited competitors include Panda Restaurant Group, Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Qdoba (the #2 quick-casual Mexican restaurant behind Chipotle, operated by Jack in the Box).

What’s more interesting than their competition, however, is that the idea behind Chipotle seems to be feeding a fast food revolution of sorts—micro-chains that keep things simple and do simple things better than everyone else. McDonald’s gives Chipotle free reign over their destiny. That’s a good thing, because customers can smell a deep-fried sales facade a mile away.

TT: It’s interesting how Chipotle started as Steven Ell’s side job to make some cash to start his “real” restaurant and has turned into the poster burrito for the mini-salvation of fast food… or at least a few miles in that direction. Got to like that irony. Fresh saves stale. Makes my tongue smile.

GS: Scary thought.

TT: Chomp, chomp. This micro-chain idea has been around for a long time (mainly in a regional way), but now the concept is carving up the market by using taste buds connected to a consciousness about things that matter to the audience, at least with Chipotle. They have a philosophy that is far from traditional fast food mentality – the total fresh angle, the environmentality, the social consciousness – all very different for the category in general.

And they partner with some pretty unique companies as well.

GS: You’re right, they do. And they wear their partnerships on their salsa-soaked sleeve. They know customers increasingly care not just about the quality of their food, but the quality of the suppliers and sources. The food chain of fast food chains has been the subject of more than one Nightline News scandal (tainted beef, ostrich meat, questionable poultry and produce).

TT: You been reading "Kitchen Confidential"?

GS: Ouch. Chioptle’s brand is bolstered by the brands they partner with, too. The idea of "Know what you’re eating" is a powerful one. Mom’s warning of, “Don’t put that in your mouth; you don’t know where it’s been!” can’t be said of Chipotle’s ingredients.

TT: You have been reading Anthony Bourdain (which is good reading, by the way).

GS: Check out this ad. Not only does it inform consumers about Chipotle’s philosophy on ingredients (and the industry’s in general), it also encourages them to learn more and actually lists all the suppliers of their meats. It says something not just about Chipotle, but about each of their partners as well.

They call it “Food with Integrity.” And this isn’t a tagline, it is the core essence of their manifesto, which is posted on their Web site (which, by the way, is as deliciously simple, fun and filled with integrity as their food).

TT: OK, now the tough part. We have to be balanced in the Garage. No one is perfect, not even our favorite Mexican grill. While we see a lot to like and love here, it’s worth noting that in 2003 the Center for Science in the Public Interest dug into Chipotle’s nutritional information (or rather, the lack thereof) and released some negative reports about just how many calories are in one of those table leg-size burritos. It wasn’t flattering. Healthy ingredients, yes, but maybe it was too much of a good thing. I know I can’t eat the whole thing when I go there. If you’re not supposed to eat anything bigger than your palm (as many nutritionists suggest), then you better have the palm of King Kong, because this is a few palmsful of food. Yes, it is fresh and tasty, but it is not a small amount if you tend to go for all the optional equipment.

GS: Yes they do. I’ve seen them.

TT: I’ve been them. Chipotlefan.com helps people figure out how healthy their favorite Chipotle product is. I couldn’t find nutritional info on the Chipotle site, so there is a little chink in the armor. The calories and fat meter can go off the scale if you like to load up with sour cream and cheese and too many additions. Alas, it is not enough to keep me from eating there. I just tone it down. But I’ve see people fill that burrito like they're stuffing a soccer team in a minivan.

GS: Little chink in the armor? More like big chunky, which might also describe any waistline bold enough to order a burrito with the works. Using the nutrition calculator on the Chipotlefan site, let’s calculate what someone might actually ingest.

TT: As GS unfolds the nasty visual, if small children are reading this, please cover their eyes. What you are about to see is pretty graphic stuff.

GS: Here you can see we’ve loaded this sucker up. Sure, that’s a lot, but it’s also what a lot of folks may add without thinking too much about it. Sour cream? Sure. Fajita veggies and guacamole? Why not. Side of chips? Wouldn’t be a Mex-meal without ‘em.

TT: And cheeeeeeeeeeese.

GS: Now, Monty, tell ‘em what they’ve won!

TT: A Whopper-topping 2,000+ calorie, 95g of fat gut buster (and they call White Castles “Belly Bombers”)!

GS: Urp! BUT for the record, Chipotle NEVER claims to be “health food” in terms of low-cal or low fat. They only claim to use AAA ingredients and prep techniques that would make Julia Child proud. After all, they call their employees “Burrito Artists.” Salsa-dore Dali, perhaps.

TT: Side note: Guys, women love artists. So when you are practicing lines on women, telling a beautiful woman that you are a “Burrito Artist” goes a long way unless she doubts your skill and inserts “BS” into the moniker instead of "Burrito." Chipotle’s HR department has to know this is an advantage when hiring guys.

GS: It is entirely possible to order lower-fat, lower-calorie meals at Chipotle; but, as with ANY restaurant (fast food or otherwise), it’s up to the customer to exercise good choices. After all, you can go into Jared-pimping Subway and hobble away with something to put a big Big Mac to shame unless you stick to the “Jared” menu. I suppose if they wanted to, Chipotle could introduce a “lite” selection—but that’s not what they’re about. They are about good ingredients prepared in a top-notch, tasty way. They are every bite what they believe: Food with integrity.

TT: Here’s the truth, ugly or otherwise. Fast food has a rep (right or wrong, depending on the purveyor) for being built from less-than-top-grade ingredients. Most are frozen, stored, shipped long distances, stored again, reheated and bagged up for your enjoyment. Not everyone does this, but people usually understand the gig. We’re not dining at Emeril’s here and we all know it.

GS: BAM!

TT: Chipotle has changed all of that and delivers a top-grade (check out their impressive list of suppliers), fresh product, han-made right in the store from scratch. Sorry, folks, but sour cream and cheese and meat do have calories and fat, and that’s the way the Good Lord made that stuff. Fresh is fresh, however. And all the other knowledge aside, at the end of the order, it’s your choice what you put on your burrito. It’s their job to give you the best, freshest options available. And in that, Chipotle shines.

GS: You got that right. It’s like gourmet Mexican. It’s not Tex-Mex… It’s “GourMex!”

TT: You can eat at Subway and gain a lot of weight or you can Jared your way down to a svelte torso. It all depends on what you order. You see, that’s the beauty of freedom. You have a choice. But in fast food, fresh isn’t always a part of that choice. It is at Chipotle.

I’m getting kinda hungry.

GS: I though I heard something growling. Let’s make a run… from the border.

Late-breaking Burrito Bulletin (October 24, 2007)

TT: The other day you mentioned another Chipotle-ish purveyor of fresh Mexican fare as well: California Tortilla, and they seem poised to launch their own tortilla rocket over the fast food bow.

GS: Yup, or as their fans call them, "Cal-Tort."

Oddly enough I was chompin' down an Egg McMuffin in a DC McD's (who we recall is Chipotle's behind-the-scene parent) and flipping through a copy of The Washington Post. The cover story of the business section trumpeted "Tortilla Franchise Growing Up"  (The Washington Post, Oct. 22, 2007) — and with Chipotle recently in the Garage, my curiosity was piqued.

For a small west coast operation, California Tortilla is making big waves in the burrito business. They are on the fast track to tortilla success, growing from two locations to 31 in just four years — fast enough to have captured the attention of The Washington Post, not to mention that  of regional rivals like Chipotle and Baja Fresh.

TT: And you gotta love a place with a "Wall of Flame" (75 hot sauces), "spunky" cashiers (whatever that means, Pop Tart Day and Happy Hour For Dogs. With those kinds of things backing up your fresh Mex, Chipotle may be looking over their taco shoulder.

GS: Darn right. Chipotle was created by a culinary-academy caliber chef just looking to make enough dough to fund his real dream (it just turned out that Chipotle was a good dream, too). But California Tortilla was cooked up by Bob Philips, a guy bound and determined from the getgo to become the next (and hottest) "Fresh-Mex" franchise.  And with that kind of focus, he's outlined a pretty smart plan for coast-to-coast growth that seems to be a hot as Cal Tort's Wall of Flame.

But wIth this seemingly sudden explosion of Fresh Mex joints, I can't help but wonder what's next.

TT: Who know? There's more new ideas out there than calories in a deep fried Moon Pie. What do you, our fellow Brand Garage grease monkeys, think? What makes Chipotle and California Tortilla so, well... hot? What are your experiences? Where do yo go for your fix of Fresh Mex? And what do you think is the next big  franchise waiting to satisfy our appetite for fast food made fresh?

GS: Or, fresh food made fast?

TT: Indeed. Drop us a line an let us know.

Big R's Brand Garage will be happy to discuss your brand. Just send us your product or e-mail Terry Taylor or Geoff Stone.

Click here to return to the main brand garage page.

Opinions expressed here and in any corresponding comments are the personal opinions of the original authors, not necessarily of Big River and may not have been reviewed in advance by Big River.