On Thursday, March 13, Chipotle Mexican Grill, is opening a new location at the intersection of Flushing Ave and Broadway (774 Broadway, Brooklyn, NY 11206) in the iconic Fat Albert building, next to Starbucks. Normal hours of operation will be 10:45 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days per week.

Stacey Fleming, the New Restaurant Strategist of Chipotle, is excited to be in the area to bring a healthier food option to the local community, “We can come to an area to provide good sustainable food, because it’s something every community is missing.”

The reason they brought the new restaurant to North Brooklyn was quite simple, first of all, there aren’t any around, secondly the intersection of Flushing and Broadway bring a lot of local traffic. “It’s so accessible, we are close to a major hospital, to major subway lines,” said Fleming. “We know we are going to have an impact on the food quality of the residents who live here.”

The new outpost also hired and trained around 20 locals, for both general staff and managerial positions, between the ages of 18 and 25. “My general goal was to hire young people who are excited about the food,” said the General Manager of the new location, Ashrafur Rahman.

The new restaurant aims to continue to give back the community by hiring people from the neighborhood, but also is planning events for Nurse Appreciation Day, Teacher Appreciation Day and other public gatherings.

“We are getting a lot of feedback of people coming to the door asking if we’re open yet,” said Rahman. “People are excited. We have great food, which we are really proud of.”

Locals can expect fresh food made with real ingredients. As their website boasts, Chipotle is dedicated to preparing food without added colors, flavors or preservatives. They promise “just genuine raw ingredients and their individual, delectable flavors,” sourced from farms, rather than factories.

Out of a scarce choice of healthy fast-casual foods on that block, Chipotle offers a variety of meals that are nutritionally beneficial. They now offer a vegan bowl, filled with plant-powered protein and “organic goodness.” Amongst other dietary needs, their menu has options for people on low-sugar and low-sodium diets, for those avoiding dairy or gluten, and, of course, options for vegans and paleo-dieters.

Many may not know, but Chipotle strives for a healthier planet, and not just a healthier meal. By buying local, they reduce the middle-man and save on transportation, shipping and emissions from the process. They partner with farms that have prioritized long-term health of their land and suppliers with pasture-raised animals, with no nontherapeutic antibiotic treatments or added hormones.

For busy, on-the-go customers, the Bushwick restaurant will offer convenient online and mobile ordering, so New Yorkers can skip the lines or have their food delivered right to their door.

Chipotle Mexican Grill will offer a variety of food options in an underserved community, and as Fleming put it, “there’s lot’s of excitement because we are a healthier option in the neighborhood.”

Cover photo courtesy of Irina Groushevaia.

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