Above: The Chipotle team celebrates the Lansing location’s opening on April 16, 2024. (Photo: Josh Bootsma)
LANSING, Ill. (April 16, 2024) – Lansing’s first Chipotle Mexican Grill location opened Tuesday at the intersection of Torrence Avenue and Thornton-Lansing Road.
The fast-casual chain specializes in bowls, tacos, and burritos made to order in front of the customer, or available for pick-up.
The new location includes a drive-thru window, which is for digital pick-up orders only. The pick-up lane is cleverly referred to as the “Chipotlane.”
Inside the restaurant Tuesday afternoon, a burrito-shaped balloon was among the decorations set up to celebrate the restaurant’s opening.
Terryell Lang is the General Manager of the Lansing Chipotle, and said the location’s opening is the result of hours of training, coordination, and support.
“Chipotle offers so much support for their crew, their managers,” she said. “I live in Lynwood, so I would take pictures every time I passed by here — of seeing it grow. It’s so cool.”
Lang said the restaurant is fully staffed with a roster of 52 employees. Managers at the location were trained at nearby Chipotle locations starting earlier this year. Lang said she trained for the general manager position at the Munster Chipotle location.
In addition to the pick-up drive thru window, mobile orders can also be picked up at designated parking spaces, and on pick-up shelves inside the restaurant. Those looking to eat at the location have their pick of tables inside, as well as some outdoor tables.
A current special on Chipotle’s menu is chicken al pastor, which Lang said nicely balances spicy chile flavors with sweet pineapple flavors.
Chipotle’s completion marks the finished transformation of the Torrence Avenue and Thornton-Lansing Road intersection, which once included some vacant space and unused buildings. After years of planning, demolition, and construction, the corner now hosts Sav-a-Stop, Starbucks, Taco Bell, Torrence Place, and Chipotle.
Chipotle is now open at 2302 Thornton Lansing Road in Lansing, and is open daily from 10:45 a.m. to 11 p.m.
