OPINION

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By Jack Barnes

3,043 locations versus 686 locations. Utter domination, and food has not even been ordered yet. To the casual reader, these two numbers may mean nothing. But to me, they mean everything. 

Chipotle dominates the United States and around the world in high quality Mexican fast food, but especially when compared to Moe’s Southwest Grill. 

Chipotle has it all. The food, the chips, and the extras, like guac and salsa. In my opinion, there is no way I would ever consider going to Moe’s over Chipotle, unlike my esteemed, yet mistaken friend Collin Kimball-McKavish (‘23). 

The Chipotle Rewards app containing points and possible rewards. Image credit: Jack Barnes.

The smell of the delicious food as soon as you walk through the door. The sound of the sizzling steak and chicken while being prepared on the grill in the kitchen. Chipotle needs no greeting tune as you enter. Relative to their rival, Chipotle dominates. While I am a massive supporter of the world-wide franchise, with over 11,000 points on the Chipotle app just this year, I have wondered how much of a rivalry this really was? Was this rivalry as intense as any NFL team playing Tom Brady? Does the Chipotle or Moe’s argument compare to Duke versus UNC basketball games? Is it that big a deal? To answer all of those questions: Yes. It is that big of a deal. 

In a poll sent out by The Match to the Collegiate Upper School, 86.3% of the respondents agree that Chipotle is better than Moe’s. With such a wide margin, this rivalry needs to be discussed. The lopsided result of the poll had many students full of emotions with what to say. Everett Hatfield (‘24) stated that, “Chipotle wins hands down. Moe’s burritos may be more compact, but it simply doesn’t hold a candle to the natural ingredients found in Chipotle.”  Whit Wallace (‘23), who voted for Chipotle, went on to add, “Better protein value.” And another emphatic Chipotle voter, Charlie Loach (‘23), formulated the most emotional response by saying, “Who in their right mind would choose Moe’s over Chipotle? I don’t think I’ve seen a Moe’s in Richmond. Even if it does exist, it is probably so empty, because everyone knows it’s garbage compared to Chipotle.” I think that the 13.7% of respondents who chose Moe’s in the poll have either not fully lived life yet, or decided to try and make someone’s day worse. These voters are also uncultured. 

The results of the Chipotle vs, Moe’s poll sent out by The Match.

The true domination of this rivalry is shown within our own community. Throughout Richmond, there are a total of 18 Chipotle locations, compared to Moe’s paltry three. Chipotle proves its dominance not only through popular vote, but also control over territory, being six times larger in our own community and roughly six times larger nationwide. 

For me, the combinations and possibilities at Chipotle are endless. While I do order the same burrito bowl every time, with white rice, double steak, mild salsa, cheese, and a light touch of lettuce, I get to see many different combinations of food that I would be willing to try. I will admit the only imperfection at Chipotle is the queso. I truly believe that if Chipotle had a better queso, 100% of the respondents from the poll above would have voted for Chipotle. Once Chipotle creates the perfect queso, which the franchise most definitely will, this rivalry will no longer be a rivalry.

With the support of the majority of the respondents, there is a clear winner in this rivalry. Chipotle sweeps. 

READ THE COUNTERARGUMENT: Collin Kimball-McKavish believes Moe’s is superior. 

Featured image credit: Mr.TinMD via flickr.