A ‘Chipotlane’? A first for Fresno, this new Chipotle restaurant will have a drive-thru
A new Chipotle is under construction in Fresno, and it will be the first of its kind in town.
It will have a drive-thru.
Or, as Chipotle calls it, a “Chipotlane.”
The 2,400-square-foot restaurant with giant east-facing windows is under construction now. It’s at the southeast corner of Herndon and Brawley avenues, in the same shopping center as Tractor Supply and the new Habit Burger.
It’s in the final stages of work, but could still be weeks or months away from opening.
Chipotle confirmed earlier this spring that it will open a new restaurant in Fresno “at some point in the fall.” It did not specify an opening date when contacted Wednesday.
What’s a Chipotlane?
Chipotle’s drive-thrus are different than most restaurants’. Unlike, say Burger King, where you drive up and order a Whopper without tomatoes or onions through a speaker, Chipotle skips that step.
Since Chipotle’s food is so customizable – customers choose their protein, toppings and type of rice and beans – ordering multiple burritos or bowls via a speaker from a car could be time consuming.
Instead, Chipotle has customers place their orders ahead of time through its app or website.
Customers also pay online and choose what time they want to pick up their food.
They then drive into the lane marked with large letters that read, “digital pickup ahead.” The food is waiting in a bag with the customer’s name on it at a drive-thru pick-up window.
Most new Chipotle locations also let customers walk in and order and have dining rooms.
Like many restaurants, Chipotle is adjusting its business to meet the demands of customers who increasingly turned to drive-thrus, mobile ordering and delivery apps during the COVID-19 pandemic.
About 80% of Chipotle’s new restaurants opened last year featured a Chipotlane. It is also adding drive-thrus to existing locations.
Last year, it opened its first “digital kitchen” in Ohio, which only accepts online orders and does not have a dining room.
This story was originally published June 15, 2022 at 2:22 PM.
