Holy guacamole, Chipotlelane is convenient
By Toni Gonzales
Good news for Las Vegas residents who are a) Chipotle fans and b) not wanting to get out of their car. The national restaurant chain has added another drive-thru location—called Chipotlanes to the Valley, this latest one is Las Vegas proper. Chipotle’s newest drive-thru spot will be in South Las Vegas at 3588 St. Rose Parkway (across from the Costco).
Now, a quick, but important caveat. When Chipotle says ‘drive-thru,’ what they really mean is ‘order ahead.’ What customers do at a Chipotle location with this option is either call ahead for the order, or order through their app. They have made the app option a very attractive one with added incentives like free quesadillas. Then, put the car in drive, hit the restaurant’s window, tell the employee you are there to get your order, and hit the road.
The Chipotlane is a newer innovation for the chain. In their latest earning report, executives shared that the drive thru locations helped to grow sales over 10 percent in the last year. Mind you that was a year in which we were at the mercy of a global pandemic. However, Chiptole is betting that us patrons will opt for the convenience when all is said and done.
In the last few years the chain has added Lifestyle Bowls (Keto and Whole30) for those diet conscious customers. They have prioritized the environment by diverting 51% of their trash to the landfills. And they have doubled down on their use of only 53 ingredients, ingredients you can actually pronounce by the way.
Last year, when many restaurants were closing their doors, Chipotle opened 56 new locations in the second quarter and only shut down five. While we sheltered in place and delivered digitally we accounted for 48.5 percent of their sales. That is a lot of burritos.
All of that is to say that, of course, it makes perfect sense that they would add more Chipotlane locations in support of that growth. Obviously, we were big fans of that. And we aren’t the only ones. Just this week the chain appeared on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver in a bit he did making fun of Mad Money host Jim Cramer.
The new ‘drive-thru’ in Vegas is open now. So too is the other ‘drive thru’ location in Henderson. That one is at 46 E. Lake Mead Pkwy. No need to worry about eating indoors, or waiting in the soda line for the Diet Coke. The Chipotlane has you covered. And hey, there is no judgement if you inhale the chips before you leave the parking lot.
