Chipotle Mexican Grill began the first steps last week for construction to commence on its Statesboro restaurant.
Located next to the Hampton Inn and across the street from the Neighborhood Walmart in the Market District, an email from the Chipotle corporate office indicated they expect to start actual building in the next “week or two,” with the goal of opening some time in the fall. The Statesboro Chipotle is one of 200 new grills the company expects to open in 2021.
Georgia-based Horizon Construction, which builds Chipotle grills across the Southeast, is the general contractor for the Brampton Ave. eatery. When the announcement of the Statesboro Chipotle was first made back in March, Horizon initially hoped for a late June/early July opening.
One of the features of the Statesboro Chipotle will be what the company calls a “Chipotlane,” which is their version of a drive-thru that was first introduced in 2019. At the end of 2020, only 170 of the company’s more than 2,750 restaurants had Chipotlanes.
Customers place their order through the Chipotle app, so the order is ready by the time a customer reaches the Chipotlane. Orders are typically ready for pick up a few minute before the expected time, so a trip through the Chipotlane takes “literally seconds,” according to the email.
In addition to a general manager, the company said it is looking to hire up to 25 “full-time and part-time crew members” to staff the grill. According to the Chipotle website, the crew positions pay $11-$12 per hour.
The company is known to offer some of the better employee benefits in the restaurant industry, including bonuses, college tuition assistance and reimbursement and free meals for employees.
Chipotle was founded in Colorado by Steve Ells in 1993.
It has more than 2,750 restaurants and 94,000 employees in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Germany and is the only restaurant company of its size that owns and operates all its locations. There are no franchises.
The brand name was inspired by the Chipotle chili pepper, a traditional ingredient in many Mexican dishes that is also featured in several of the chain’s menu items. In addition to its signature burritos, Chipotle serves a range of tacos, burrito bowls, salads and side dishes.