Is Chipotle opening in Mexico a good or bad thing for the country? An MND debate

Travis Bembenek: I deliberation Chipotle opening successful Mexico is simply a large thing.

I can’t lie, I emotion Chipotle. I person ne'er considered myself a foodie (I’m from Wisconsin, request I accidental more?) but I deliberation it’s intolerable to reason that Chipotle does not deed the uncommon edifice trifecta of accelerated service, bully nutrient and bully price. Most restaurants conflict to springiness you 2 of those things, but Chipotle is 1 of those peculiar places that gives you each three.

I deliberation it’s important to constituent retired that Chipotle does not spell retired of its mode to effort to person you that it is “authentic Mexican food.” They don’t person pictures of Mexican ruins oregon cities oregon waterfalls connected the walls and don’t play Mexican euphony connected the dependable system.  The logo and store plan don’t play disconnected of the Mexican emblem oregon its colors and determination is nary chihuahua selling to you successful breached Spanish. The paper doesn’t person immoderate authentic Mexican-sounding merchandise names — nary Chimichanga, Chalupa oregon Gordita there.  About the lone “Mexican” happening astir the place, different than the food, is the somewhat tacky, industrial-looking Mayan sculpture creation (if you tin telephone it that) connected the walls.

Chipotle, the US accelerated nutrient chain, opens its archetypal edifice successful Mexico this week

And hence, I don’t deliberation my Mexican friends southbound of the borderline should beryllium offended by the accomplishment of Chipotle to Mexican territory. No, President Sheinbaum, it is not an penetration of Mexican sovereignty. You see, Chipotle has positioned itself, and its food, arsenic an wholly unsocial genre: kinda Mexican, but kinda not Mexican. In my 30+ years spending clip successful Mexico, I person lone had astir apt fractional a twelve burritos, and nary of them person been thing similar a Chipotle burrito. Most Mexicans I cognize don’t truly devour burritos, and erstwhile they do, they are different.

A fewer months ago, not having been successful the U.S. for a while, I was craving 1 and dragged my Mexican colleagues successful San Miguel to the lone existent burrito spot I cognize of successful town. My colleagues rapidly ordered and past I struggled my mode done my order.  Not due to the fact that of language, but due to the fact that this was nary Chipotle menu.  My precise frustrating ordering acquisition took astir 10 minutes arsenic I tried to person the cashier to let maine to customized bid thing akin to a Chipotle burrito. It did not spell well, ended up being thing similar a Chipotle burrito, outgo a whopping 340 pesos (nearly $20 USD) and took them implicit 15 minutes to make. Neither they nor I were satisfied with the last product.

The bottommost line: Chipotle is not going to vie with immoderate existing authentic Mexican restaurants present immoderate much than McDonald’s, Shake Shack oregon Tim Hortons do. It’s a antithetic product, a antithetic acquisition and a antithetic level of service. In fact, I deliberation that Chipotle volition person a affirmative effect connected the manufacture arsenic a whole. They volition bring bully service, just pricing, a accordant prime of food, prime fountain portion soda (very sorely lacking astatine astir restaurants here) and cleanable bathrooms. They volition bring competition, and just contention is simply a bully thing. They volition assistance rise the barroom of expectations that galore diners expect from a restaurant.

I look astatine their accomplishment successful Mexico successful a akin airy to however I saw multinational companies coming to Mexico. The companies coming successful were surely disruptive to section established companies, but they besides brought with them antithetic absorption styles, caller enactment cultures, worker grooming programs and biology sustainability practices. In galore cases, they rapidly became an leader of prime for galore workers.

I americium consenting to stake that galore Mexicans volition yet beryllium won implicit by Chipotle and extremity up becoming customers. Not due to the fact that they person much authentic Mexican nutrient than what they are eating today, but due to the fact that they volition admit the speed, quality, and affordability of the experience. They volition admit the prime bathrooms, bully aerial conditioning, and bright, cleanable eating environment. I person seen this with different planetary edifice chains successful Mexico and I expect it to beryllium nary antithetic with Chipotle.

The prime of the archetypal location, Monterrey, says a batch to me. They are not targeting vacationing gringos successful Cancun.  They are not targeting integer nomads successful Condesa successful Mexico City. They are targeting Mexicans successful a distinctly Mexican city. We volition spot however it goes. I privation them well.

María Meléndez: Chipotle successful Mexico? Fine. Travis not eating existent Mexican food? Now THAT’S the scandal.

Travis, arsenic we accidental successful Mexican lands, “híjole.” That’s what we accidental erstwhile we genuinely don’t cognize wherever to begin.

I’ll admit I felt a tiny pang of nonrecreational betrayal speechmaking this. Are you telling maine that each the effort I’ve enactment into my Taste of Mexico bid was for nothing? How does the inauguration of a Chipotle excite you much than eating a caller tuna oregon a pitaya consecutive disconnected the cactus? I can’t judge this. Sacrilegio, Travis. Sacrilegio. (Please, work it successful a “novela” voice).

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But let’s acceptable speech the information that I seemingly failed to crook you into a foodie, and get to the condemnation that really matters here: Chipotle calls itself a “Mexican grill,” and arsenic you yourself pointed out, it’s everything but Mexican. We could reason it’s much Tex-Mex, but adjacent the purists would propulsion backmost connected that — arsenic you said, a “real” burrito looks thing similar Chipotle’s newborn-sized version.

Now, a confession. Not lone person I eaten astatine Chipotle — I’ve done it willingly. Worse: I’ve enjoyed it. The circumstances, successful my defense, were dire. I’d spent the erstwhile 10 hours wandering the San Marcos Outlet, fooling myself similar galore different whitexicans into believing we were beating the strategy with a Ralph Lauren garment astatine 40% disconnected (the discount we ever person ourselves is simply a steal). I was precocious connected buying and mildly hallucinating. My 2nd Chipotle acquisition was astatine the Atlanta airport, and that babe burrito tasted similar heaven. This amazed me. I expected it to beryllium fine, but it was amended than good — and I could remainder casual knowing I’d recovered the 1 happening concatenation restaurants tin really guarantee: consistency.

And that’s wherever we onshore connected immoderate communal ground. Alsea is the Mexican-born giant, founded close present successful Mexico City, that softly operates practically each planetary concatenation you’ve eaten astatine crossed 12 countries: Starbucks, Burger King, Domino’s, Vips, Chili’s, P.F. Chang’s, The Cheesecake Factory and now, Chipotle. Alsea knows precisely what it’s doing, and I wholly hold with you: this isn’t an onslaught connected our sovereignty — nor, I’d add, connected our culinary past — but let’s not unreal it’s nothing, either.

What we’re watching is the continuation of the Americanization of our thoroughfare nutrient culture, 1 air-conditioned, brightly-lit franchise astatine a time. Remind maine to archer you the communicative of the archetypal McDonald’s successful Mexico sometime — it’s a amended parable for this statement than either of america has fixed it recognition for. As you said, Chipotle chose Monterrey, wherever buying groceries crossed the borderline is practically a play ritual and astir radical person already had the existent thing. Its accomplishment won’t extinguish the taquero connected the corner.

It’ll make a fewer months of hype, and past softly instrumentality its spot alongside Shake Shack, Burger King, McDonald’s, Domino’s, Starbucks and Little Caesars — each franchises that, successful their moment, were besides accused of coming for our psyche and alternatively just… became portion of the landscape. What troubles me, though, is that wherever immoderate radical utilized to take a fondita oregon the taquero connected the corner, present they scope for a speedy hole astatine 1 of these accelerated nutrient joints alternatively — and that is decidedly changing eating habits successful our cities.

May we each find immoderate equilibrium betwixt the fonditas, the thoroughfare tacos, Chipotle, Sanborns and everything successful between. Travis, I’m inactive wounded that you’d take a Chipotle burrito implicit a existent one. All my efforts to crook you into a due Mexican foodie, consecutive to the trash can. I don’t cognize if this relationship survives.

What bash you deliberation astir Chipotle invading Mexico? Let america cognize below!