Construction is underway for a new Chipotle coming to Milford
Annie Gradinger, External Communications Representative for Chipotle, confirmed this week that the Mexican-inspired restaurant would officially open a new store in Milford.
“We are currently scheduled to open a new location in Milford this winter,” Gradinger said. “Those are the only details I have to share right now but feel free to check back for updates!”
The new location is planned in front of the Movies 9 on the lot where Wendy’s stood several years ago. Construction has already begun on the building which is also supposed to house a second fast food restaurant according to Art Helmick, owner of Movies 9 who also owns the lot where Chipotle will stand.
In June 2024, Milford City Council approved a conditional use request from Helmick to construct a building on the lot. This was the second conditional use for the property as delays led the first to expire.
“I’m the property owner and all I want to say is that we did have some trouble with lease negotiations before and our intention was to move faster than we have. The site was under some type of reconstruction at the time when the previous owner passed away and left it to his wife. She no longer wanted to follow through and Wendy’s was a hazard, so we tore it down,” Helmick told council in June 2024. “We didn’t plan on putting Wendy’s back. We were working with Chipotle as a tenant before and you have to meet their timeframes and if you don’t the ball gets dropped. So, they’re back at the table and we are inches away from signing.”
With the information provided by Gradinger, it appears the two parties have reached an agreement and Chipotle will open in the next few months.
Founded in 1993 across from the University of Denver, Chipotle began serving burritos under the direction of founder and CEO Steve Ells. The name comes from the Nahuati or Mexican name for a smoked, dried jalapeno chili pepper. Ells began the first Chipotle with an $85,000 loan from his father who helped him calculate that they would need to sell 107 burritos per day to be profitable. One month after they opened, the restaurant was selling in excess of 1,000 and, instead of funneling the proceeds from his first fast food restaurant into a fine dining establishment, Ells focused on opening more Chipotle Mexican Grills.
In 1998, McDonald’s invested in Chipotle and by 2001, had become its largest investor. This allowed Chipotle to expand quickly from 16 stores in 1998 to over 500 by 2005. McDonald’s pulled their investment in 2006, and Chipotle purchased back the few franchises it had sold, becoming 100 percent company owned in 2007.
Ells stepped down as CEO in 2018 and was replaced by Taco Bell’s Brian Niccol. Ells remained as Chairman of the Board.
Chipotle’s menu includes burritos, burrito and lifestyle bowls, quesadillas, salads and tacos. The chain focuses on real food that is better for you and better for the planet. All food is made fresh daily with no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives. There are no freezers, can openers or short cuts. Chipotle uses only 53 ingredients that can be pronounced, claiming the hardest thing to pronounce is their name – which is Chih-Poat-Lay.
According to their website, Chipotle diverted 50 percent of their waste from landfills in 2021 and are committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by 2030.
RELATED STORIES:
Share this Post