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   The Way We Eat: Tex Macs

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Rhune
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The Way We Eat: Tex Macs
« on: Mar 1^st, 2005, 11:51am »

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The Way We Eat: Tex Macs
By AMANDA HESSER

Published: February 27, 2005

f you walk into Chipotle on 34th Street in Manhattan at lunchtime, you will have to wait in line. Behind a counter, workers assemble burritos and tacos -- and nothing else -- in an impressively streamlined production line. Fresh tortillas are heated on a griddle, then piled with fillings like rice flecked with fresh cilantro, naturally raised Niman Ranch pork and organic beans. Burritos, good-tasting if bulky, are rolled by the hundred. The riotous crowd of lunchgoers sits at steel-topped tables on plywood chairs; rock music pours from speakers.

It's not just a busy day in a busy city restaurant; it's also a chance to witness -- and taste -- a shift in American fast food. This past week, Chipotle opened its 419th store, on Varick Street in Manhattan. Nearly a hundred more will open this year. And while this may be a triumph for the increasing number of diners interested in healthful, sustainable food, there is a strange twist: Chipotle's majority investor is McDonald's.

To some people, it might seem like justice that a progenitor of trans fats would appear to be repenting for its supersize sins, but it's not. ''Fast casual'' restaurants like Chipotle, Qdoba Mexican Grill and Panera Bread have experienced steady growth over the past few years. McDonald's may be simply hedging its bets against its own seemingly bleak future.

Just a few years ago, the lone hope for fast food was In-N-Out Burger, a small West Coast chain that has acted as a model of what fast food can be -- made of wholesome ingredients, freshly but quickly prepared. It was the anti-McDonald's, but it has remained a wee competitor, with just 189 locations, compared with the 13,700 McDonald's in America. Good fast food, it seemed, simply couldn't compete with the giants. And yet, In-N-Out won many fans, including Steve Ells, the C.E.O. of Chipotle. Ells started Chipotle in 1993 after working as a line cook at Stars in San Francisco. Smitten with the local taquerias, Ells opened the first shop in Denver.

Chipotle (pronounced, like the dried, smoked jalapeńo, chi-POAT-lay) was an unexpected hit. ''After things settled down a little bit, then I started thinking that opening another restaurant would be a good idea,'' Ells said. ''So I opened a second one.'' This one did well, too. ''So, I thought, O.K., maybe I should do just one more,'' Ells said.

Once he opened six shops, Ells needed a partner and sent a business plan to the development arm of the McDonald's Corporation. Ells had mixed feelings about the partnership, but when McDonald's offered Ells a promise of autonomy and a lot of money, he took them. ''We have very different cultures,'' he said, and he claims they still do.

Eating at Chipotle is about freedom of choice with a small set of choices. Customers are offered a menu of just four items: tacos, burrito, fajita burrito and a ''burrito bol'' (a burrito made without a tortilla; the bowl is made of recycled newsprint). These are assembled by spooning the fillings on top of a clean cutting board and sliding them down. The room for error -- or style -- is zero. At the condiment bar, there is a selection of just three hot sauces. Nothing to dilute the purity of the tightly swaddled burrito.

Nearly all of the food at Chipotle is prepared in the restaurants, except the beans and the pork, which is cured with salt, juniper berries, bay leaf and thyme and then braised and shredded at a central kitchen in Chicago.

Chipotle's pork is naturally raised (no antibiotics, no hormones), and the majority comes from Niman Ranch, which supplies restaurants like Chez Panisse. When Chipotle switched from serving conventional pork to Niman Ranch in 2001, it raised the price of the burrito by $1, to $5.50.

''Most of our customers didn't care,'' Ells said. ''Not all of our customers are looking for food with integrity. It's a delicate balancing act. We have to convince our customers that it's better for them. You can't be preachy. Customers don't want to be lectured about what kind of food they should eat.''

But that's not the only hurdle. Right now, the pork used at Chipotle comes from more than 400 farms. They've struggled to find enough naturally raised chicken and beef producers, so only about one-quarter of Chipotles serve naturally raised chicken and even less serve naturally raised beef.

Meanwhile, Chipotle faces competition from Qdoba, a copycat chain that offers more choices, like poblano pesto burritos, but less discipline in its execution, and Panera Bread, which serves fresh but mostly ill conceived sandwiches.

There may be other ''fast casual'' restaurants in the works. Anita Lo, a chef, and her partner, Kenny Lao, recently opened Rickshaw Dumpling Bar in the Flatiron district of Manhattan. They serve things like dumplings stuffed with wasabi shrimp and green-tea milkshakes. In planning the bar, Lo and Lao studied restaurants they admired. Their muse? Chipotle.

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yesteach
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Re: The Way We Eat: Tex Macs
« Reply #1 on: Mar 5^th, 2005, 7:40pm »

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I love Chipotle! We go there often when we're out shopping... we refer to it as the "glorified Taco Bell".. LOL. Their burritos are HUGE! First visit, my daughter and I each ordered burritos - no way we could eat it all. Now we get one to share and it's more than enough. Don't care for their chips and salsa though...

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Rhune
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Re: The Way We Eat: Tex Macs
« Reply #2 on: Mar 5^th, 2005, 8:32pm »

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I don't eat there as much as I used to, kills my stomach too much when I'm pregnant, but I love their food. My boys love to get quesadillas there, which aren't on the menu, but they will make them for you anyway on request.

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lakelady
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Re: The Way We Eat: Tex Macs
« Reply #3 on: Mar 6^th, 2005, 8:47am »

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Hmmm...first I've heard of this place. Sounds good.

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luci
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Re: The Way We Eat: Tex Macs
« Reply #4 on: Mar 6^th, 2005, 9:51am »

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There are several in our area, but as to date, we've not checked one out.
Maybe we will soon. From nowon, I'll be eating before we go to the movie so I won't be hungry and popcorn won't tempt me Lips Sealed

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Rhune
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Re: The Way We Eat: Tex Macs
« Reply #5 on: Mar 6^th, 2005, 10:59am »

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You should definitely check it out Luci, they have good food, and excellent prices for the portions they serve. I've never gotten a bad meal at this place.

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luci
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Re: The Way We Eat: Tex Macs
« Reply #6 on: Mar 6^th, 2005, 12:20pm »

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One is on our way to the movies. Yes we definitely will check it out Cool

Maybe I'll have a 'Luci's Lunch Report' in a few days! Grin

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rcs_mum
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Re: The Way We Eat: Tex Macs
« Reply #7 on: Mar 6^th, 2005, 1:45pm »

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I don't think that we have one near us either. I'll have to check.

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Insane 4 Survivor
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Re: The Way We Eat: Tex Macs
« Reply #8 on: Mar 7^th, 2005, 11:24am »

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We have them here in Phoenix... The burros are enormous!

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AoM
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Re: The Way We Eat: Tex Macs
« Reply #9 on: Mar 7^th, 2005, 12:16pm »

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We definitely don't have those here

we do have Panera's and Zi Pani's though

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Rhune
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Re: The Way We Eat: Tex Macs
« Reply #10 on: Mar 7^th, 2005, 3:55pm »

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I'm not to fussed about Panera, frankly. Their food was tasty, but their portions and more importantly their price were poor in comparison to what you get.

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yesteach
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Re: The Way We Eat: Tex Macs
« Reply #11 on: Mar 7^th, 2005, 7:46pm »

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I agree, we have a Panera, and I wasn't too impressed. Our other "glorified fast food" is Pei Wei, which is owned by P.F. Chang's... If you want good Asian food, but not the long wait, Pei Wei is great!

« Last Edit: Mar 16^th, 2005, 9:52am by yesteach »

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AoM
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Re: The Way We Eat: Tex Macs
« Reply #12 on: Mar 8^th, 2005, 7:14am »

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that's true, panera is a little pricey. But if you want fast food thats healthy and there's no subway to be seen...*shrug*

Does anyone ever go to Zi Pani? It's like Panera only slightly cheaper and you DEFINITELY get more food

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