Under construction for many months, Chipotle completed the renovation of a new restaurant in January. The building was previously an Arby’s building on West 66th Street. The new location is directly across the street from the original Chipotle, and has multiple new features with a more modernized look. 

According to senior Aubrey Burnett, an employee at Chipotle, the awaited restaurant construction lasted several months. 

“All of [the employees] were really excited about it,” Burnett said, “The new store took about three to four months to be finished.”

Compared to the previous building, the new building stands alone allowing more space for parking and a drive-thru. Inside, there are more seating options, as the lobby is much larger than the original. Additionally, a soda machine sits in the lobby, allowing customers to self-serve their drinks where they couldn’t before. 

These features have also brought increased business to Chipotle. Senior Jordan Standen, a two-year employee at Chipotle, says that he’s seen more customers come in since the renovation. 

“We used to not have a lot of people come in. It was mainly just our mobile orders,” Standen said, “Now we’ll have a line in both the drive-thru and the lobby.”

Not only do customers benefit, but employees have too. Standen explained that at the old location, there was not enough space to work without running into a coworker. Now, there is more space behind the counter, and bumping into other employees while working is no longer an issue. 

Although they gained space up front, Burnett mentioned that employees lost some room in their back office, in comparison to the old building. 

“I miss how big the old office was in the back we had lockers to put our stuff [in],” Burnett said. 

When it comes to student approval, both Standen and Burnett shared that they feel like most students have positive opinions about the new Chipotle. 

For junior Anna Stottlemyre, the most notable aspect of the new restaurant is the drive-thru. 

“[The drive-thru] makes it a lot quicker to get your food if it’s busy on the inside,” Stottlemyre said. 

Like Stottlemyre, Burnett shared that the drive-thru is an important addition to the new building. 

“It makes online orders so much easier,” Burnett said. 

Chipotle made additions to both the outdoor and indoor environments. The easily-accessible parking, drive-thru, and renovated interior make for significant improvements, and with more space for customers and employees, it makes for a more favorable building than the last.

Reflecting on customer opinions, Burnett shared that the new Chipotle is more widely enjoyed.

“I feel like people like it a lot better,” Burnett said, “The space is more convenient for the customers.”