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).
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.
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.
We stopped going after giving them 3 chances. There was a location by us that I literally would wait almost an hour extra for the food that I ordered on the app. The crazy part was I was already like 10 min past the pickup time. People who walked in would get the food way quicker, and when people were complaining and told them to cancel our orders, they just smirked and said oh we can’t do that. The first time we figured, ok places have bad days, but after the 2nd time, which was like 6 months later, and it was basically the same, we were done. The 3rd time was like a year later, and a new closer location to us opened. Figured cool, let’s do it. Nope, same shit. The only good news was 2 of the orders were refunded after complaining, and the 3rd, they just gave us a coupon, but it expired since we were done with them.
Thanks! I spent an embarrassingly long time trying to figure out something for G and then I immediately felt like an idiot for needing to use a thesaurus when I found it it
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.
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.
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.
That sounds like bad management/ownership trying to shave the operating costs as much as possible (without considering the potential losses involved)
We stopped going after giving them 3 chances. There was a location by us that I literally would wait almost an hour extra for the food that I ordered on the app. The crazy part was I was already like 10 min past the pickup time. People who walked in would get the food way quicker, and when people were complaining and told them to cancel our orders, they just smirked and said oh we can’t do that. The first time we figured, ok places have bad days, but after the 2nd time, which was like 6 months later, and it was basically the same, we were done. The 3rd time was like a year later, and a new closer location to us opened. Figured cool, let’s do it. Nope, same shit. The only good news was 2 of the orders were refunded after complaining, and the 3rd, they just gave us a coupon, but it expired since we were done with them.
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.
Thanks! I spent an embarrassingly long time trying to figure out something for G and then I immediately felt like an idiot for needing to use a thesaurus when I found it it
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.