Chipotle has a new menu item for the first time in years — here's the verdict
Hollis Johnson
Chipotle has had a rough year.
The E. coli crisis rocked consumers' confidence in the chain, with same-store sales plummeting and the company's stock losing 27% of its value in six months.
Chipotle has only changed its main menu once, in 2014, adding tofu sofritas.
But the chain has unveiled a new weapon to battle the stagnant menu blues: chorizo.
It will be available nationwide by the fall, but rollouts in select metro areas has already begun. We managed to get our hands on the new chorizo to see if this spicy sausage can attract some business to the embattled chain.
Chipotle's menu has been static for some time — and I, like many, think the time is ripe for a change.
Hollis JohnsonEnter: chorizo. Chipotle' version is a combination of ground chicken and pork, seasoned accordingly — or so one is led to believe.
Hollis JohnsonChorizo traditionally comes in two varieties. The Spanish and Portuguese kind is a smoked, cured, fatty pork sausage flavored by distinctly red, smoky paprika. The kind Americans are generally more familiar with is the Mexican variety, which is finely ground pork — although sometimes beef, chicken, or other meat can be used — seasoned with whatever spices are available, typically garlic, cumin, paprika, and chilis.
This does not seem to be the chorizo we know and love. While traditional chorizo, be it European or Mexican, is supposed to be fatty and bold, this is neither. The chunks — it's neither ground nor a true sausage link — are dense and dry.
Hollis JohnsonSee the rest of the story at Business Insider