Tag Archives: chipotle

7 Awesome Reasons Denver Residents Look and Feel So Good

I’ve lived in Denver for one month now, and by the end of the first week it was clear to me why Colorado as a state and Denver as a city own the top of the healthiest lists. From activity to fresh air and an attitude that supports wellness, how could anyone not feel their best here?

Year after year, Colorado remains at the top of the list for healthiest states. The CDC’s map of obesity trends starts in 1985, and it wasn’t until 1990 that Colorado even showed up for having less than 10 percent of its population qualify as obese. The most current map is from 2024 and puts Colorado as one of only nine states with an obesity population under 25 percent. Fitness and hiking clothes seem to be The Official Denver Outfit, as everyone at brunch, the park, the grocery store, and the office seem to be dressed down and ready to move!

While there are no doubt more, these are seven killer reasons that Denver residents look and feel so darn good!

denver bikes
Very Bicycle Friendly. I’m confident I’ve seen more bicycles in the last four weeks than I’ve seen in the last four years. Whether for commutes, fun, or exercise, bicycles own the roads in Denver. As recent as 2024, bicycle commuters were 2.4 percent of Denver’s population, a number up 183% since 1990. Bike racks and lanes exist everywhere, making it a no-brainer for cyclists to get out and ride to work, to the grocery store, or just out for fun. B-Cycle has 83 rental stations and 700 bikes throughout the city, making it pretty impossible not to bike.

chipotle sofritas
Vegetarian Food Abounds. You can throw a stone and find vegetarian and even vegan dining options. Bonnie Brae makes a titillating homemade vegan ice cream, Native Foods has a mock fast food menu that will knock your socks off, and the locally-based Chipotle even puts sofritas (organic tofu braised with chilis and spices) on the menu. Every restaurant we’ve visited (and there have been a lot!) has hearty vegetarian options that even the most carnivorous will consider noshing on. The Goodness Truck roams around near Ft. Collins serving their grilled brie sandwich — to die! And all around the area you can dine at farm to table events. (more…)

Posted on June 16, 2024 by Natalie K

Technology is Changing How We Order and Pay for Food

For many of us, our smartphone serves less of a purpose as an actual phone and instead, is becoming increasingly more about the services it connects us to and the other gadgets or processes it replaces. We don’t use watches to check the time, we don’t use alarm clocks to wake up in the morning, we don’t use phone books, we don’t write letters on paper, or pull out an atlas for road trips. We don’t carry an MP3 player, digital camera, or day planner anymore, either. All of these things (and more) are part of the device we already carry everywhere we go.

Apple founder Steve Jobs often talked about the place technology has in our lives. He said on multiple occasions that the best implementation of technology is the kind that empowers you to do things, but without requiring a new learned process or behavior.

One thing we can add to that list that wasn’t possible just a few years ago: ordering and paying for food. We’ve talked about Amazon Fresh, the grocery delivery service you can access from your computer, tablet or smartphone, but that’s just the beginning.

Large restaurants and grocery stores are launching new mobile apps that enable you to order and pay with your smartphone.

chipotle-mobile-app

Already, you can build your perfect Chipotle burrito and pay for it before ever stepping foot in the door. In fact, they’ll have it waiting for you at the register. Talk about grab and go.

Pizza Hut also has a mobile app you can use to craft the perfect pie. Delivery or carry out? Cash or credit? And most importantly, how long until it’s ready? Their mobile apps have you covered. (more…)

Posted on March 10, 2024 by Mike Beauchamp

Chipotle is Going GMO-Free Because “People Have the Right to Know What’s in Their Food”

Food costs at a restaurant are the most critical to the business’ bottom line. That’s why many restaurants cut corners and you’ll often find their kitchens piled high with nameless, low-quality ingredients to ensure they can mass produce meals at a value while still turning a profit. That’s not how it works at Chipotle though, where they say it’s “worth it to spend a little bit more.”

We spoke with Chris Arnold, PR director for Chipotle Mexican Grill, who told us Chipotle has some of the highest food costs in the restaurant industry. Even still, they are able to “invest more in quality food and still be very profitable.”

chipotle GMO

Chipotle just became the first American restaurant to work toward clearing its menu of all GMO foods, something that will equally drive food costs while improving quality. The company knows there will be cost implications, exactly how much at this time they can’t say, but it’s not uncharted territory for them. “Making decisions that result in higher food costs is nothing new to us,” said Arnold.

The brand was a supporter of Prop 37 last year, the California bill that aimed to require labeling of GMO ingredients on all foods sold in the U.S. It was then that the brand started to hold itself to the same standard it was asking of others. Arnold explained that their first move was purely disclosure, to let their customers know which foods had GMOs.

“We think people have the right to know what’s in their food,” said Arnold. (more…)

Posted on July 30, 2024 by Natalie K

31 Reasons We Love Everything About Halloween

While this week has already been frightful enough for our friends in New York and along the East Coast, and we’re grateful for their safety, we can’t help but hope that everyone everywhere gets a chance to partake in the fun side of scary with Halloween tomorrow. It’s got to be one of the silliest holidays of the year with as much opportunity for indulgence as any other, but also plenty of opportunity for healthifying the heck out of it!

At the very least we knew we had 31 reasons to love this spooky holiday, because, you know, it falls on October 31. First on our list is a Halloween full moon. The official full moon for October was last night, but there is sure to still be plenty of eery glow to light your trick or treat path. Second is all the walking the entire family gets by trekking from house to house.


Why else do we like Halloween? Let us count the other 29 ways…

 Pumpkin Workouts

Homemade Caramel Apples

Vegan Pumpkin Spiced Latte

Fitness-Inspired Halloween Costumes

The Trick or Treat Goodies (more…)

Posted on October 30, 2024 by Natalie K

Chipotle Puts its Dairy Out to Pasture

Chipotle, how do I love thee? Let me keep counting the ways! This place keeps getting better and better. Chipotle just announced that effective this June, 100 percent of their stores’ sour cream and 65 percent of their restaurants’ cheese will be made from pasture-raised cows.

A pasture-raised cow is one that has daily access to outdoor pastures. Additionally, the animals are never fed hormones, only a vegetarian diet. The leading Mexican grill chain has made some bold and progressive moves in the last year, challenging the existing quality found in typical fast-food. Chipotle has already made a commitment to serve only naturally raised meats that contain no hormones or antibiotics. As a further commitment to health and sustainability, Chipotle buys its produce from farms located within 250 miles of each location. They also support family farms with The Chipotle Cultivate Foundation, which helps farms with sustainable practices and promotes healthy eating for kids. (more…)

Posted on June 20, 2024 by Lacy

Chipotle Sets High Standards in Offering Antibiotic-Free Meat

You’d like a BBQ pork sandwich with cole slaw and a large iced tea. Would you like any antibiotics with your meat? We didn’t think so. And as it turns out, you’re not alone. 

In recent years, many U.S. consumers have joined the all-natural school of thought and are demanding higher standards for their quality of meat. This is in part because some food companies – like Chipotle – are willing to provide it.

If you walk into Chipotle Mexican Grill today, you’ll see a sign that touts their antibiotic, farm-raised beef, chicken and pork. And if you’re like most health-conscious Americans, that makes you feel good. But it wasn’t always this way.

In fact, Chipotle founder Steve Ells – who reports the company is now growing so quickly it opens an average of three new locations a week – didn’t used to sell this high quality of meat. It wasn’t until he picked up an article called “The Lost Taste of Pork” where he learned about the practices of Iowa family gamer Paul Willis, who raises pigs on a pasture the old-fashioned way, that he changed his mind. (more…)

Posted on June 1, 2024 by Dana

Ask Fast Food Employees for the Inside Scoop on Menu Ingredients and Preparation

When you are in a rush and hungry, we’re all guilty of turning to fast food. It is quick and convenient. However, it’s anything but healthy.

People hear the horror stories about fast food chain employees who tamper with food. Just last week, one diner found a finger at Arby’s. Yet, we rarely get to hear about what is actually in our food. Most employees are preparing food in a harmless fashion for consumers. They get to see all the content that goes into a one-dollar hamburger. This isn’t another article about the terrible things employees do to food, instead it is about how people are blinded by marketing tactics and advertisements.

A recent thread on Reddit asked restaurant employees to share what they know about the preparation, ingredients, and processing of the foods they served. (more…)

Posted on May 22, 2024 by Samantha

Chipotle Contest Raising Awareness and Funds for Family Farms

Are you ready for the annual Boorito celebration at Chipotle Mexican Grill? This Halloween from 6pm to close come in to your local Chipotle wearing a costume inspired by the family farm and score a $2 burrito, salad, bowl, or order of tacos. All proceeds up to $1 million will benefit Chipotle Cultivate foundation and Farm Aid.

You will also have an opportunity to enter their costume contest in which they are giving away over $7500! There will be one grand prize winner for $2500, five runner up prizes of $1000, and 20 runner-up prizes of a burrito party for 10. To enter the contest, simply take a photo of your family farm-inspired costume inside or in front of a Chipotle restaurant (I suggest you make sure a sign or two are showing) and submit it by uploading or texting it to Chipotle (full contest rules). Contest winners will be displayed in the winner gallery on November 15th.

(more…)

Posted on October 14, 2024 by Brooke Randolph