McDonald's may be simply hedging its bets against its own seemingly bleak future.
"Fast casual" restaurants like Chipotle, Qdoba Mexican Grill and Panera Bread have experienced steady growth over the past few years. To some people, it might seem like justice that a progenitor of trans fats would appear to be repenting for its supersize sins, but it's not. And while this may be a triumph for the increasing number of diners interested in healthful, sustainable food, there is a strange twist: Chipotle's majority investor is McDonald's. Nearly a hundred more will open this year. This past week, Chipotle opened its 419th store, on Varick Street in Manhattan. It's not just a busy day in a busy city restaurant it's also a chance to witness - and taste - a shift in American fast food. The riotous crowd of lunchgoers sits at steel-topped tables on plywood chairs rock music pours from speakers. Burritos, good-tasting if bulky, are rolled by the hundred. Fresh tortillas are heated on a griddle, then piled with fillings like rice flecked with fresh cilantro, naturally raised Niman Ranch pork and organic beans. Behind a counter, workers assemble burritos and tacos - and nothing else - in an impressively streamlined production line. If you walk into Chipotle on 34th Street in Manhattan at lunchtime, you will have to wait in line.
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