Chipotle’s moving into the burger business. The first Tasty Made, Chipotle’s “better burger” chain, finally opened its doors on Thursday. This news comes after a quarter of disappointing sales for the burrito purveyor, and suggests that the company is making a big bet on its move into burger-making.
The first location opened in a small strip mall in Lancaster, Ohio, at 732 N. Memorial Drive at 10 a.m. on Thursday, according to The Columbus Dispatch. Tasty Made’s menu will be incredibly simple, selling only cheeseburgers, fries, sodas and milkshakes. Burgers will be grilled to order, fries will be hand-cut and fried twice, and a special Buckeye-themed shake will be served to commemorate the Ohio opening.
“Lancaster is the ideal market for this, because the people here really appreciate an excellent burger served at a reasonable price,” said Chipotle executive Dave Chrisman in a press release. “I ought to know, because I grew up just miles from here. And the warm welcome from our community has been great. They are very excited that the first Tasty Made is in their town.”
The new restaurant will be more like fast food than Chipotle’s fast casual, but it will maintain the ingredient standards that Chipotle holds. The location will also have a drive-thru. The company’s prices will reportedly be similar to other fast food chains like Wendy’s and Burger King, according to The Dispatch. There are no reports as of yet about additional locations opening, but if they can maintain high-quality ingredients at competitive prices, then it seems like a no-brainer.