Chipotle Mexican Grill opened its first Milford restaurant and its 12th in Delaware on Tuesday, March 25, but with a feature few others have.
The restaurant offers the “Chipotlane” drive-thru where guests can pick up orders made online or on the app without leaving their cars.
The Milford site is only the third Chipotle in Delaware with a drive-thru, said Annie Gradinger, senior analyst for Chipotle external communications.
The address is 997 N. Dupont Blvd. (Route 113) in north Milford at Warner Road in front of Milford Movies 9, just south of the Route 1/Route 113 split.
Open seven days a week from 10:45 a.m. to 10 p.m., the restaurant has about 30 workers, Gradinger said.
Origin of Chipotle chain and its expansion around the world
In 1993, founder, chairman and CEO Steve Ells opened the first Chipotle in Colorado in a former Dolly Madison ice cream shop across from the University of Denver.
He wanted to quickly prepare and serve food that wasn’t typical fast food.
A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, Ells planned to use that first location to fund his dream of opening a fine dining restaurant, but the Chipotle concept quickly took off.
The chain now has 3,685 restaurants in the U.S. as of March 31, according to the website, in all states except Alaska and Hawaii, with 56 more in Canada and 28 in Europe, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.
The company owns and operates all its restaurants in North America and Europe.
“Chipotle continues to offer a focused menu of burritos, tacos, burrito bowls and salads made from fresh, high-quality raw ingredients, prepared using classic cooking methods and served in an interactive style allowing people to get exactly what they want,” according to the website.
The company says it uses ingredients that are “fresh and raised responsibly, with respect for the animals, land and people who produce them.”
The website alphabetically lists the 53 natural ingredients in the company’s meals from avocados to white rice.
Newest menu item: Chipotle honey chicken
The newest menu item, available for a limited time, is chicken marinated with smoky chipotle peppers and “a hint” of pure honey.
The dish was a hit with customers during its debut in Nashville and Sacramento in 2024.
“Chipotle honey chicken was our top performing limited time offer in test markets and we’re excited for guests to taste this bold, new protein,” said Chris Brandt, the company’s chief brand officer. “The delicate balance of heat and a touch of sweet pairs perfectly with our real ingredients.”
Available in a bowl, burrito, quesadilla or salad, the honey chicken dishes are made fresh daily in small batches.
Reporter Ben Mace covers real estate, development and business news. Reach him at [email protected].