Chipotle? Well, if we really must…

This week, we were deed with the astonishing quality that Chipotle volition unfastened its archetypal edifice successful Mexico successful 2026. Social media was instantly flooded with a wide scope of reactions, including: 

• “Isn’t Chipotle primitively Mexican?” 
• “It’ll neglect similar Taco Bell did.” 
• “This is my item for 2025.” 
• “Just reasoning astir it gave maine diarrhea.”

Chipotle Mexican Grill quiere llevar sus burritos gringos de vuelta a su tierra ancestral $CMG

“La decisión provocó bromas en redes sociales, comparándola con la apertura de un Panda Express en Pekín.”https://t.co/JEMuk8cj1R

— Nathan Crooks (@nmcrooks) April 25, 2025

For 1 day, Chipotle stirred up beardown nationalist feelings among galore of my chap Mexicans. It has been a portion since I felt enthusiastic astir engaging successful online debates — okay, they usually extremity successful arguments — but this time, I wanted to find a peaceful mediate crushed successful the remark warfare and channeled my interior Gandhi, advocating  for bid by presenting respective points, which I outline below:

Chipotle is Tex-Mex, not Mex

If you’re speechmaking this article, it’s apt that your cognition and emotion for Mexico some surpass adjacent that of immoderate Mexicans. You recognize that, similar immoderate country, Mexico’s cuisine is incredibly diverse. We, the nutrient writers astatine MND, enactment diligently each week to explicate that Mexican gastronomy is simply a affluent mosaic, not conscionable tacos with salsa.

Chipotle is Tex-Mex, which is conscionable 1 facet of that aforementioned mosaic. Tex-Mex cuisine has a fascinating and unsocial past that reflects the affluent taste blending on the Mexico-United States border. It combines elements specified arsenic meat, beans, tortillas and chiles with saccharine corn, flour, yellowish food and high-quality Texan beef.

Tex-Mex is not a mediocre imitation of Mexican cuisine; rather, it is simply a chiseled blend of flavors and traditions.

That being said, the concatenation refers to itself arsenic “fast casual” due to the fact that it uses caller and integrated ingredients alternatively of frozen food. But it is not Pujol, Quintonil, Rosetta oregon immoderate different Michelin Guide restaurant. Its extremity isn’t to supply a sublime affectional acquisition with each wound oregon to springiness our ancestral recipes a twist; it aims to connection tasty nutrient astatine a just price.

When the U.S. fast-food edifice concatenation Taco Bell tried — and failed spectacularly astatine — bringing its archetypal restaurants to Mexico successful the aboriginal 1990s, writer Carlos Monsivais famously compared it to “bringing crystal to the Arctic.” Will Chipotle endure the aforesaid destiny oregon articulation the nine of different palmy U.S. edifice chains successful Mexico? (Government of Mexico)

Chipotle is not your vicinity fonda/taco stand

I tin confidently accidental that Chipotle isn’t aiming to “compete” with taco stands oregon our cherished section fondas. I spot Alsea, Chipotle’s edifice relation successful Mexico, considering opening its branches wrong a promenade oregon a portion mall, alongside different fast-food restaurants, to vie with brands similar Subway, Panda Express, KFC, oregon McDonald’s.

Alsea, nary da paso misdeed huarache

This operation tin beryllium translated as, “Alsea, don’t instrumentality a measurement without a sandal.” It perfectly captures the essence of cautious planning.

Alsea is the largest edifice and café relation successful Latin America and Europe. As of 2023, it operates a full of 4,622 locations worldwide, with 2,313 of those successful Mexico. These see 820 Starbucks, 798 Domino’s Pizzas, and 425 Burger Kings crossed Mexico. Those awesome numbers are a testament to their heavy knowing of the Mexican marketplace and their quality to accommodate overseas brands to it.

Years ago, I became funny astir what it would instrumentality to bargain a Starbucks franchise. Before, similar immoderate benignant of Richie Rich, you put millions to instal a Starbucks successful your kitchen, it turns retired you indispensable archetypal behaviour a marketplace survey to guarantee that the concern is not a risky one. Surprisingly, my room did not walk that study.

So, I don’t person proof, but I person zero doubts that a batch of probe went into the determination to bring the archetypal Chipotle edifice to Mexico. Because of this, I find it hard to judge that it volition neglect arsenic Taco Bell did.

Will it beryllium a immense success?

I judge determination volition beryllium agelong lines of radical waiting for hours during the archetypal fewer weeks, but erstwhile the archetypal excitement fades, Chipotle volition settee into a dependable travel of regular customers, akin to what happened with Shake Shack.

To execute this, they volition apt set prices for the Mexican marketplace and incorporated seasonal section variations successful the menu. For example, Starbucks sells Rosca de Reyes pastries during the Christmas season.

The Mexican edifice relation Alsea has brought respective U.S. edifice chains to Mexico with success, similar this Cheesecake Factory determination successful a Querétaro mall. So possibly they cognize thing we don’t? (Martha Cabeza de Vaca/Google)

They volition besides — successful bid to guarantee aboriginal occurrence — beryllium precise strategical astir the cities, and adjacent the nonstop streets, they prime for their archetypal edifice locations. Their selling efforts volition beryllium impeccable.

Will Mexican customers LOVE it?

I’m guessing not. I deliberation galore of the comments connected societal media person valid points: adjacent successful the “fast casual” sector, we already person a rich, reliable and much affordable acceptable of eating options.

Even with the inevitable terms adjustments, I can’t ideate the mean Mexican being blessed to wage 150 pesos for a baby-sized burrito oregon 200 pesos for a burrito bowl, particularly erstwhile they tin get a implicit repast — including a starter, soup, entrée, dessert and portion — astatine section places for 150 pesos (CDMX prices).

And see buying a ample quesadilla from Chipotle for astir 100 pesos erstwhile a thoroughfare vendor offers it for conscionable 40.

My conjecture is that, for Mexicans, eating astatine Chipotle volition beryllium much of a prefiero eso a nada (I similar that to nothing) absorption alternatively than a genuine craving for Chipotle menu.

Personally speaking

Let maine clarify that I LOVE nutrient — if stones were edible, I’d devour them. I find joyousness successful eating —almost — anything: thoroughfare tacos, McDonald’s, a fondita’s prix fixe menu, good dining, a elemental apple.

However, from the fewer times I’ve eaten astatine Chipotle, I don’t retrieve it being a life-changing acquisition oregon a spot I’ve dreamt of returning to erstwhile starving during a buying spree successful San Antonio. I don’t envision myself lasting successful enactment for a carnitas bowl.

But with that said, I volition effort it present conscionable to beryllium my mentation that it volition sensation amended successful Mexico than connected American soil.

So, who bash you deliberation Chipotle’s people assemblage is, and wherever bash you deliberation the archetypal Chipotle restaurant successful Mexico volition beryllium located? Given our culinary context, would you spell to Chipotle regularly? I’d emotion to cognize your thoughts successful the comments.

María Meléndez is a Mexico City nutrient blogger and influencer.