Last year Grub Street broke the story that Chipotle, the Mexican formula fast food chain, had inked a lease for the space that had been Home Restaurant, empty since 2011, at the corner of Market/Church/14th Streets. Opposition to the chains incursion into the Gayborhood was immediate. Merchants and neighbors started a Change.org petition that garnered hundreds of signatures to say, 'thanks, but, no thanks.' Duboce Triangle Neighborhood Association (DTLA) came out against while its sister org, Merchants of Upper Market Castro (MUMC), approved the idea. Result? Stalemate. Chipotle now has started their own petition and public relations campaign to woo neighbors and local merchants to their cause. So far they've amassed 29 local merchants to add their voice to their call to let the ban on formula chain eateries be lifted so the conglomerate can open in the long dead space. Neighborhood citizen groups have also been approached and Chipotle's biggest champion, Sup. Scott Wiener, has also been working diligently on their behalf to make the chains invasion into the neighborhood happen as soon as possible. Chipotle has also been having 'Pop Up' styled mini events at the corner offering their wares to citizens attempting to woo them with their culinary delights. For those unfamiliar with Chipotles story it's based in Denver, started by a former San Francisco Stars chef, Steve Ells, who was inspired by our classic Mission styled burritos. Armed with our City's mainstay for its base dish he amassed a whiter version of the classic Mexican Mission menu and began his quest to conquer America one shopping mall at a time. The new space on Church & Market will be a bit of a break out for the usual Chipotle formula. It will be their first, heavily urban, sit down, eatery with wait staff. They're hoping to use it as a test spot to see if this new configuration will work for them and allow them to start expanding into neighborhoods around the country that aren't their 'traditional' type of markets. Here is how they envision the space to look post renovation.
Chipotle Tries New Tact to Gain Local Support for Contested Castro Restaurant
Published on March 31, 2013