Marshall Street welcomes new Chipotle restaurant

Tuesday’s snow and rain were not enough to damper the appetites of hungry customers who anxiously awaited the grand opening of the Chipotle restaurant on Marshall Street. This chain Mexican grill is known for its assortment of Tex Mex foods, such as burrito bowls, chips and guacamole. But they are famous for one thing in particular: their burritos.

Photo: Alyssa Greenberg

The line of customers at the new Chipotle location stretched from the counter all the way to the front door as many were excited to order gourmet burritos and tacos.

“It’s better than Taco Bell,” Katie Connelly, a freshman at Syracuse University, said. “I am getting a cheese quesadilla and a burrito with chicken and pinto beans.”

Despite many people’s anticipation that the restaurant would be packed at the grand opening, Connelly and her two friends were the only people waiting in line before the door opened Tuesday morning. 

“They [her friends] thought it opened at 10,” Connelly said.  “We thought it was going to be a big line.”

The trio arrived on Marshall Street at 10:30 Tuesday morning, a tad bit too early for the restaurant’s regular business hours of 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. While the restaurant is new to the SU campus, Connelly said she is no stranger to the chain’s gigantic burritos. She said she has eaten at Chipotle many times before because they are everywhere in her home state of Colorado. 

Sure enough, the restaurant picked up pace throughout the day. By dinnertime, the rush of customers created a line that snaked all the way to the back of the restaurant. The new location, which once housed King David’s Middle Eastern cuisine, is equipped with multiple low-top and high-top tables. Freshman George Wickey was sitting at one of the tables during the dinnertime rush while chowing down a juicy burrito.

“It’s amazing,” he said.  “Fast, easy and simple.”

For Wickey, this was only his second time eating at Chipotle. But he said he thinks the restaurant’s installation on SU’s campus will be a success.

Dan Cohen, a sophomore at SU, said he heard about Chipotle’s opening through friends. He said he thinks the buzz about the new restaurant is a good thing for Marshall Street, since the J. Michael’s construction had made the street’s appearance look like an "eye-sore."

“I didn’t understand what the big deal was, so I figured ‘Why not?’” Cohen said. “This is my new favorite place.”