Chipotle Mexican Grill to open on south side

The Denver-based chain plans to open one of its “fast-casual” restaurants at South Campbell Avenue and West Walnut Lawn Street this fall, company spokesman Chris Arnold said. Chipotle plans to renovate the former Fiesta Ranchera Mexican restaurant at the intersection’s northeast corner.

Founded 14 years ago by CEO Steven Ells – a chef trained at the Culinary Institute of America – Chipotle now has more than 570 restaurants throughout the country. In Missouri, Chipotle has 16 eateries in the Kansas City area; three near St. Louis, in the suburbs of O’Fallon, Chesterfield and Creve Coeur; and one near the University of Missouri in Columbia.

“What we’re generally looking for in any given location is a combination of daytime and nighttime populations,” Arnold said, specifically mentioning businesses, universities and hospitals.

The typical Chipotle has 25 to 30 employees and is open every day, Arnold said.

Chipotle has built its reputation as the antithesis to fast food by using meat from animals raised on a vegetarian diet and charging higher prices based on the cost of doing business with farmers who raise their livestock without antibiotics or hormones. The company’s slogan: “Food with integrity.”

See SBJ’s March 26 issue for more about Springfield’s first Chipotle and its competition.