There’s a new competitor for Chipotl: Tocabe. They serve up “Indian Fry Bread” (sometimes called Bannock). This is a popular meal introduce to many outsiders at pow-wows or state fair type events, but is essentially dough that’s deep fried with the typical burrito ingredients either laid on top (taco style) or stuffed inside (sopapilla style).

The style of their location at 44th and Lowell near Denver’s Highlands neighborhood is very well finished. The beautiful stone wall and nice tables and hanging art create an atmosphere that feels almost too professional. It feels a lot like a chain even though it’s the only location. We left guessing that they plan for expansion and wanted to solidly set the corporate style from the very first location.

Tocabe’s take on frybread

The Tocabe take on frybread is to serve it up with the customers choice of delicious fresh ingredients. One particular bonus is buffalo - either ground or braised and shredded like the Chipotle barbacoa meat - which is both delicious and a lot healthier with lower fat and cholesterol.

Westword did an article about Tocabe a while ago including this video:

Indian frybread health information

I’m mixed on this one, but it is generally exciting. Chipotle announced today a new iPhone application that allows you to order stuff in advance via your iPhone. Pretty awesome. One of the major complaints that I hear about chipotle is that certain locations have such a long wait time. This application allows any of the millions of folks with an iPhone to jump past the line and get their food.

iPhone Application - Should help finances

During the investors call in the summer of 2007 the Chipotle people on the call noted that the speed to process orders each hour was one of the biggest limiting factors for their was the speed of the line and (more importantly) the checkout process during the busiest time periods. This application allows them to utilize a second food-prep line and a totally separate payment process (which should be faster in terms of time spent in the store). If they can process an additional 5 orders during the busy hour that’s actually a big deal for them. Chipotle’s stock was actually down today - perhaps the market already knew that this was happening or perhaps the market hasn’t picked up on this news yet.

iPhone App Bad - Mobile Website Good

Why am I mixed on this? Well, my iphone broke and Apple and AT&T are a bunch of complete morons. (seriously). I would much rather that Chipotle build a mobile optimized website where this was possible. When I go to the Chipotle.com site with my G1 (Android) phone I get a mobile optimized site but all I can do is find restaurants - there’s no order form at all :(

It seems some other folks feel agree with me that the “new” chipotle style is not so good.

http://cheapotle.com/

Chipotle Comes to Your iPhone

According to macrumors a Chipotle ordering tool was added to the iPhone Application store (and then promptly removed).

Update: Chipotle Mobile Ordering has been removed from the App Store for unknown reasons, although users have reported that the app suffered from a number of bugs that may have precipitated its removal.

Bummer. I don’t see much advantage to ordering ahead, but it probably helps Chipotle sell more burritos so go out and get it, everyone!

Chipotle is Headed to London, United Kingdom

Forbes, among others, is reporting about Chipotle’s plans to expand to London. A few years ago they expanded to Canada while copycat restaurants open elsewhere around the globe so now they are heading straight to the UK themselves.

I wonder if the recipes will stay the same or be “Brittified”? I wonder if there are enough farms and ranches around to raise the animals in a way that fits with the Food With Integrity program?

Some of you may have seen “bio cutlery” other plant based plastics. The basic idea is that instead of using petroleum to create the plastics some plant material (usually corn) is used as the basis for the containers. This is often better for the environment in some ways because plants are a renewable resource and these plastics often degrade more quickly.

Chipotle Partners with HAVI/Perseco and Cereplast for Bio Cutlery

In Millbrae California the city government is instituting a ban on non-degradable containers at restaurants. This has restaurants scrambling to find suitable alternatives for their disposable products. This is probably a good idea for restaurants to implement nationwide.

According to this press release:

Chipotle will initially use the cutlery in its Millbrae, Calif. restaurant, with a system-wide rollout in Chipotle’s approximately 800 locations expected in the near future.

This could become another way that Chipotle leads the industry in sustainable and environmentally responsible practices.

Except Chipotle Isn’t Really Planning a Change…

According to QSRMagazine Chipotle isn’t really planning this change…

Currently, through a supplier, Chipotle purchases plastic cutlery made using Cereplast Compostables resin for its one restaurant in Millbrae, California, to comply with a local ordinance. In a Dec. 15 press release, which was not reviewed or approved by Chipotle, Cereplast misstated the nature of the relationship, stating that “A system-wide rollout of up to 800 Chipotle locations is expected in the near future.”

Chipotle currently has no plans to expand its relationship with Cereplast.

One thing that quickly becomes apparent to most visitors of a Chipotle is the furniture and art in the stores. Much like the food, the finishings are a mix of rich style, common materials, and high design. In the cast of the art it’s Maya/Aztec style; plywood, stell rod, stainless steel, corrugated metal; and the inspired artistic vision of Bruce Gueswel of MayaTek.

History of Mayatek and Chipotle

According to their marketing materials, Bruce met Chipotle founder Steve Ells during a wedding that they both attended in San Francisco. Shortly thereafter Bruce took on the task of building furniture and art for the original Chipotle in Denver. Since then Bruce has been coming up with new designs and creations for Chipotle restaurants across the nation.

Buy the Chipotle Look for Your Home

Bruce also sells these designs from his shop in Loveland, but don’t expect that the everyday materials yield everyday prices. Each Chipotle chair sells for $100 and the art pieces from the walls of the Chipotle sell for several hundreds or thousands of dollars each.

I found this via Digg.

If you are unfamiliar with “rockroll” it is a relatively dumb techy in-joke. The idea is to trick someone into clicking on a link that will send them to a video of a 1980s Rick Astley video. Well, chipotle.com got rick rolled:

This is hilarious to me. If you’re a chipotle fan/geek then perhaps this is funny to you…