Chipotle Mexican Grill will open its newest location at 10090 SE Washington Street on July 23rd. Located at the outer northern edge of Mall 205, this rapidly expanding chain restaurant is replacing another Mexican-themed fast-casual restaurant, Baja Fresh. This brand shuffle is part of a growing reinvestment in this area that includes redeveloping older mall properties and the return of headliner chain eateries like Chick-fil-A.
Chipotle Mexican Grill began in Colorado on July 13th, 1993. Over 30 years, it expanded to 3,200 locations, all featuring a simple menu specializing in assembled-to-order bowls, tacos, and Mission-style burritos. It has become a ubiquitous fast food destination across the country and remains popular while other chain restaurants struggle to stay relevant, particularly for the brand this SE Washington Street location replaces.
This store’s opening is directly representative of a fast-casual feud that started in 2002 when Wendy’s International purchased Baja Fresh to compete with the rising success of Chipotle. However, that purchase resulted in substantial losses due to either mismanagement or customer drift towards the competition. In 2006, Wendy’s sold its stake in the Baja Fresh chain for a fraction of what it paid four years prior. The new Baja Fresh owners kept the chain afloat, but the brand’s decline progressed across the company, with few locations surviving. Chipotle’s opening in a former Baja Fresh storefront indicates its dominance in the Mexican-themed fast-casual restaurant arena.
Chipotle fans will appreciate the company’s new interest in East Portland. Previously, customers had no options east of 82nd Avenue without crossing Portland city limits or going to the airport. At the same time as crews created the SE Washington Street store, other workers transformed a former Arby’s at 12035 NE Halsey Street into another Chipotle restaurant. These new locations opening this month are less than two miles apart but serve different business corridors. The NE Halsey Street store is adjacent to NE 122nd Avenue, and the SE Washington Street location is Interstate 205 accessible. By the end of the month, East Portlanders will have two new Chipotle options, where they had none before. For many, this will improve the lunch and dinner options in the area. Chipotle Mexican Grill locations open from 10:45 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.
Update: The 122nd and Halsey restaurant at 12035 NE Halsey Street will open on August 8th. That location features a drive-thru pickup lane for guests to collect orders placed online or through the Chipotle app without exiting their cars.
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