How Chipotle Sanitized the Mission-Style Burrito for America | Eater

"Founded in the early 1990s from the Mission-burrito tradition, this fast-casual chain built a reputation on a “food with integrity” credo and made customizable, Mission-style burritos a national default. Its rise reshaped American burrito culture but also drew criticism for cultural appropriation, for eclipsing other regional burrito styles, and for marketing that sometimes felt earnest to the point of performative (commissioned celebrity-authored bag copy, parade floats, etc.). Food-safety outbreaks and other scandals dented its luster and led to the departure of its founder; leadership passed to an executive from a mainstream taco chain who relocated headquarters to Orange County and pushed a digital, expansionist strategy. Financially the company rebounded — opening thousands of outlets and targeting many more — even as skeptics worry the growth-and-shareholder focus will hollow out the original values. On the ground, recent meals described by the author were technically competent but uneven (a soggy avocado tostada and a burrito with salty steak, tart rice, bland tortilla and little of the chain’s namesake smoky flavor), and ethical concerns about ingredient sourcing (notably avocado production in Mexico) undercut the chain’s integrity claims." - Gustavo Arellano