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Chipotle wrap-up
By adamg on Wed, 03/12/2008 - 10:57pm
The new Chipotle in Harvard Square gave away free burritos today. Dirty Water took photos of the line, which at times was three blocks long. In the cold and rain. For burritos.
Free tagging:
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Comments
I might sound cynical, but...
Give it a month or two and this place will really disappoint you. I feel bad because I know the guy who manages the Chipotle up in Davis. But unlike an Anna's or Boca Grande, Chipotle is owned by McDonalds ... and therefore run like a McDonalds.
For a while, the food will be high quality and service will be snappy and the place will be nice and clean and fresh. After the shine is off the place, quality, cleanliness, ingredient availability, service...it'll all start to go downhill.
Maybe it won't because the guys running the Chipotles in this area are definitely better people than the other ones I know who run them in Maryland, but I'm not gonna hold my breath. It's not likely going to be the managers that kill the experience.
not owned by McD
Our predecessor corporation, World Foods, Inc., was founded in Colorado in 1993. McDonald’s Corporation made an equity investment in us in February 1998, becoming our majority shareholder, and simultaneous with McDonald’s initial investment in us, World Foods, Inc. merged with Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc., a newly-formed Delaware corporation. We completed our initial public offering of class A common stock in January 2006. McDonald’s sold a portion of its interest in us in the initial public offering, sold an additional portion of its interest in us in a secondary offering of class A common stock in May 2006, and disposed of its remaining interest in us in an exchange offer to its shareholders that was completed in October 2006. As a result of the completion of the McDonald’s exchange offer, we now have two publicly-traded classes of common stock, class A and class B, and McDonald’s no longer owns any interest in us.
No fair
Spoiling a perfectly good opinion with facts.
Fair enough
I don't talk to my friend at Davis about his corporate parents. It just doesn't usually come up. We usually talk about higher cuisine, honestly. He's trained for a lot better than Chipotle. Met him through my brother who met him at the Culinary Institute of America. If I could edit that line out, I'd change it to say:
"Chipotle became known nationally because it was bought out by McDonalds a few years ago. They may have divested a year and a half ago, but the same practices that make McDonalds food at a McDonalds are what make Chipotle burritos at a Chipotle. It's how you go from 20 to 500 restaurants in a short amount of time. The result is that you quickly get away from the quality and service that made you great once the 'new restaurant smell' dissipates from each location."
Sorry about the outdated info above (the edit timer has ended) but my point still remains.
Yes, but who owns World Food
Yes, but who owns World Food Inc? I've read it's a subsidiary of McD's and it's their cleverly masked arm to Chipotle... it's a Delaware corporation, these things should be transparent regardless of the bad reputation given the association.
Chipotle is no longer owned by McDonald's
McDonald's sold it in 2006.
Not owned by McDonald's anymore
McDonald's divested over a year ago. I realize this wasn't exactly front page news (I only know it because I run a Euro cycling blog and Chipotle sponsors a team), but it was only a Google search away, and association with McDonald's is the kiss of death in many people's minds.
I'm kinda surprised the guy managing the Chipotle in Davis didn't mention this to you.
-Cosmo
http://boston.redfin.com/blog/author/cosmo.catalano
Regardless...
Regardless of who the parent company is or isn't, chain restuarants like this will always be a distant second to places like Anna's. There are a million chains all trying to sell buritos now like Moes, QDoba(by far the worst), etc.. and they all have one thing in common, they're second rate. Support a local place and get a better product in return, even if it costs a few extra pennies
About that line...
I walked by at about 4 pm, in the cold, hard mix of rain and little snow pellets, and sure enough, there was a line around the corner! I kept thinking, is free food really worth it? Even thinking back to when I was in college, I just don't think I would have gone through that kind of discomfort, especially when my burrito craving could have been sated with $5 and a trip to Felipe's, two blocks away.
Plenty of Free Food Elsewhere
The funny thing is that free food at college campuses is rampant, especially at Harvard. There will be pizza offered at lectures and screenings, food at events and group meetings and plenty of spots to just grab the leftovers. No need to stand in line.
mcds
i own Chipotle stock... and at this stage most people realize that its no longer McDs owned. That said, given that a Chipotle rep already responded to this blog in a very corporate way, i'd say McDs got more into the Chipotle culture than i previously thought.
I noticed yesterday that Felipe's, Boloco, and Qdoba were all very busy as always, despite free burritos 2 blocks away. This is the decade of the Burrito, that is the one thing we can all agree on.
Chipotle rep? Probably not
Looks to me like some ordinary user who just cut and pasted a paragraph from a Chipotle web page or press release.
For decades Harvard Sq has
For decades Harvard Sq has had a policy to keep chains out. Look at the hoops Dunkin Donuts had to go through to get in calling it the Elliot St Café.
McDonald's has never been able to get a permit in the Sq but it would be hard to deny them now.
Fast food in Harvard Square
The Square also has Au Bon Pain (was this the first one?) and Finagle-a-Bagel and Boloco and Qdoba. And, of course, Peet's Coffee and Starbucks.
chains in Harvard Sq
For years there was a group called the Harvard Sq Defense League headed by Pebble Gifford. They vowed to keep the fast food chains out and had enough clout with the city to do so. The owner of Bartley's feared a fast food place would ruin him and cause him to open on Sunday which he still refuses to do.
Now if the self proclaimed 'Mayor of Harvard Sq' Bob Marshall is to be believed McDonald's is finally coming as they have placed a bid on the Alpha-Omega space. That was the location of the Mug and Muffin and before that a Waldorf Cafeteria before becoming a bank in the 80's.
A McDonald's at that location would be a gold mine with 2 levels. It might rival their Times Sq location for volume.
I hope not
Even though it would be totally inconsistent with the treatment of other chains (named above), I'd still like to keep McDonald's out. Protecting local businesses such as Bartley's is important. Harvard Square should have done more of it, earlier.
Un Square
It's not the Square anymore, it's a shopping mall.
McDs at Alpha Omega
A McDonalds on that corner would be awful.
Just look at this square in Montpelier as an example:
It ruins the ambiance. I don't want them in the square and I'd do everything within my consumer power to sink it if it does show up.
France, not Vermont
I don't think Montpelier, Vermont, has any building that tall, not even the State House.
Heh
Good point, Ron, thanks. :)
I wasn't thinking about the local possibilities.
I took that on a trip to France. Boston is one of the most European-style cities in America and I think comparing this shot to what Harvard will look like with a McDs on the corner was a good parallel. I know Harvard already has more corporate influence than the square in this picture, but I don't see a good need to add to it and McDonalds are not known for being the most subtle about putting in locations.
I believe Montpelier,
I believe Montpelier, Vermont is the only state capital that does not have a McDonalds
Indeed it is. My hometown
Indeed it is. My hometown of Burlington, VT doesn't have one either.
I completely agree with you
I completely agree with you Kaz, its a good example!
Fastfood and a historical building just doesnt go together.
Declined the line
Some people from my office went there early, before the line got long. I decided it wasn't worth it.