Chipotle will open a new restaurant in the El Monte Shopping Center, replacing Boston Market. The restaurant is scheduled to open in June 2011 and construction will begin within the next 60 days.
Chipotle, known for its naturally raised meat and organic fruits and vegetables, is a build-your-own-burrito restaurant, available for to-go orders and dining-in. Chipotle offers burritos, tacos, bowls and salads filled with either chicken, steak, carnitas, barbacoa and/or vegetables. What Chipotle doesn’t tell you is that you can order virtually anything your imagination desires, from nachos to quesadillas to taco salads. Both the menu and the “secret menu” are fairly priced, at around $7 per item, no matter how much or little of the toppings you choose to stuff into your burrito.
With almost 30 locations within a 30-mile radius of Los Altos, Chipotle decided approximately a year ago to add this new location to its nationwide chain. Senior Vice President of SRS Real Estate Partners Steve Gazzera, who is representing the ownership of the shopping center, said Chipotle chose this addition for its “prominent location, strong demographics, very good traffic and co-tenancy.”
Being so close to school, a mere 1.2 miles, the newest Chipotle “looks forward to [the school’s] families as customers … and big supporters,” Gazzera said.
Chipotle is not the only one excited about its new location. Some students look forward to the new addition.
For senior Ian Glasner, this is the nearest Chipotle to his house. Not only will Ian enjoy the convenient location but also the food, “because Chipotle is bomb diggity [sic].”
On the other hand, junior Gina Costa “hates Chipotle and will not be going [there to eat],” but expects that it “will definitely be the new spot [for her peers] to go for lunch, especially because it’s so close to campus and fairly priced.”
Chipotle’s new location may sway some students’ opinions. Junior Daniel Eaton, for example, doesn’t regularly eat at Chipotle because of its distance from town. However, he looks forward to his senior year with the convenient location and will “maybe eat there more now.”
