Musings on lunch

[torquill]

I don't know who it was that first told me that Chipotle is a subsidiary of McDonalds Corp. It was a while ago. It hasn't stopped me from going there; it's still quick, tasty, healthy, and cheap. Their policy with regards to meat means that I can order any type of meat on the menu and not feel sick for most of a day afterward... I relish the fact that I can get a shredded pork taco without getting smacked by my allergy to antibiotic residues.

In fact, most of the policies I'm aware of there are ones I approve of. Recycling being one -- their paper products are largely post-consumer waste, and they do try to cut down on packaging. They don't buy local, but they do buy sustainably, at least more than almost any other chain I've been at. Not bad from a political point of view.

I know that some of the people at the co-ops, who are even more rabidly anti-corporate than I am, would frown on the fact that I'm giving McDonalds money. I've made a conscious decision not to ignore that fact -- rather, I deliberately give my money to Chipotle. If McDonalds is going to try branching out into the healthy, sustainable, free-range branch of food service, I want to send them the message that people want this stuff. We want healthy, ecological food that tastes good. If Chipotle does well, it serves as notice that there is a demand for this, and maybe McDonalds will consider changing its practices elsewhere as well. Pressure from consumers was what already caused them to give notice to Tyson that they want less antibiotic use in chicken farms, and Tyson agreed to put that into motion.

It's not many corporations that try to branch out into different philosophies, rather than just different areas of the marketplace. Chipotle is a good example of why more of them may want to do that. You get a much better sense of what people actually like and want, rather than what they will settle for.

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