Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.

Mr. Steve Ells, CEO
Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.
1401 Wynkoop St Suite 500
Denver, CO 80202

Dear Mr. Ells,

I am writing you in regard to your restaurant, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. I have visited your restaurant several times over the last year or so and, generally speaking, I enjoy the concept of buying and eating large burritos. However, my experiences with Chipotle have left me dissatisfied.

When my girlfriend and I began dating, we visited Chipotle quite frequently as it was one of her favorites. I soon began to notice swelling around my lips. It got so bad that I switched lip balms several times and eventually went to see a dermatologist and was put on medication for eczema. I started to notice that my lips felt like they were burning mostly after eating at Chipotle. Thankfully the lip issue has passed, since I no longer eat there frequently, but the source of the problem is still troublesome. The salsa which purports to be “mild” is still extremely spicy - so much so that everyone in my party last night remarked that their meal was just too spicy to enjoy. I don’t know if the chicken is already marinated in something spicy, but next time I will try it with no salsa to see if that makes a difference. Suffice it to say, I believe Chipotle needs a milder mild option, as I like the taste of salsa but do not want the excessive spiciness.

The restaurant seems to offer a very limited number of actual food options, which is a minus, even though you can choose toppings. Additionally, though this is less significant for me, the restaurants in this area are generally messy and the decor is bizarrely sparse and cold, resembling a warehouse or a morgue. The lines are frequently long which can be obnoxious, but the employees are always friendly and efficient.

Thank you for spending the time to review my concerns. I would love to be a more frequent patron but would like to see some more options and accommodations for those of us who don’t like four alarm spiciness. Honestly, I can eat banana peppers and things like that without issue. It is not as if I am unacclimated to spicy foods. This is just exceptionally, exceptionally spicy to the point of being unenjoyable.

Gracias,