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I find Chipotle really interesting as a company, because they are sort of the most mass market expression of these foodie ideas. Watching them struggle with ing
by enjo 12y ago
I find Chipotle really interesting as a company, because they are sort of the most mass market expression of these foodie ideas. Watching them struggle with ingredient quality as they've gone to massive scale is really interesting. They still retain their most important characteristics and their ability to train thousands of people to properly cook food the way they do is amazing. As an entrepreneur I'm just consistently impressed.
As a "foodie" (god I hate that word tho), I very often make it my lunch.
- mathattack 12y agoVery ironic given that McDonalds was an early investor. I find them similar to Starbucks - not the best out there, but they've driven a lot of mediocrity out of the market. And I used to eat there more than weekly when it was walking distance.
- maxerickson 12y agoI don't like the food they make, but McDonalds generally executes very well.
- noer 12y agocan you expand on that at all? the last time i've eaten anything at mcdonalds it looked at tasted as though it had been sitting in a warmer for hours and i felt terrible after eating it and the customer service was indifferent at best. the only thing i've noticed them executing well is trying to at least stay somewhat modern and trendy with the store designs.
- maxerickson 12y agoYou have to look at their overall performance, not a single visit. In general, the experience is pretty consistent, and they perform well financially. One of the things I don't like is that the food is designed to taste good when it is very fresh (I remember documentaries of their food scientists working on the perfect french fry, but they didn't show them waiting 8 minutes to taste them or whatever). But it's always the same. That's a remarkable accomplishment at their scale. I also don't think the food actually tastes all that good, or that it is all that satisfying, and too much soda. But I can see that they are very intentional and successful in making it that way.
- mathattack 12y agoI used to buy into the "It's all about execution" and "We can make consistent food with a high school work force" story but the very few times I have been in there lately have been bad experiences. I'm not sure if the experience has gotten worse, or my tastes have changed. (I used to have no problem eating there many times a week)
- enjo 12y agoMcDonalds is the antithesis of Chpiotle. They don't cook anything. It all comes prepacked, waiting to be warmed up in a microwave. You're not wrong, it tastes like cardboard.
- Turing_Machine 12y agoI honestly don't get Chipotle. The food there is bland and tasteless to me -- not even Taco Bell quality, much less what you'd get in a good Mexican or Tex-Mex restaurant. Maybe it's a local artifact. Quite a few other chains in this area seem to be afraid of using any actual spices in their food.
- coldtea 12y ago>not even Taco Bell quality Seriously now, come on...
- Turing_Machine 12y agoTaco Bell is edible if you use their "Fire" sauce (which is still pretty bland). Chipotle's sauce, at least in this area, might as well be Gerber's baby food. But then I'm an El Yucateco green kind of guy. YMMV.
- mathattack 12y agoI feel sick after eating Taco Bell. This isn't the case with Chipotle.
- bane 12y agoYeah, Chipotle is interesting from a scale perspective. The ingredients are really good, the price is reasonable... However, I've noticed some Chipotle's are better than others. There is a degree of variability depending on the local staff, more so than you'd find with a McDonald's. I have a handful around where I live and there's one that just isn't right.