This morning on Twitter I saw an ad for Chipotle’s new “hand-crafted quesadilla.” No, I’m not making this up. It’s “a whole new way to Chipotle,” apparently. It’s so exciting that the “longtime leader and innovator in the food industry” sent out a press release.
So I checked out their online menu: $8.20. For a cheese quesadilla. Sure, the guacamole is included, but still.
I’m not sure who needs to hear this, but making a quesadilla on your own requires neither culinary training nor special skills. Just some basic kitchen tools and, what…two ingredients? Maybe three or four if you’re feeling extra fancy?
It’s also really cheap—like around two bucks for roughly 400 calories of cheesy goodness. Which means the 300 percent markup at Chipotle must go toward paying for all that hand-crafting. (It certainly isn’t the guacamole. That costs like 20¢ an ounce to make.)
But according to Chris Brandt, Chipotle’s chief marketing officer, this is “one of the most highly anticipated menu items in our brand’s history. The Hand-Crafted Quesadilla brings so many new possibilities to our menu, and fans will love exploring fresh flavor combinations through its sides and salsa options.”
I’m not sure who we should be more worried about: The customers for whom the combination of tortillas and cheese is a world-historic event, or the “longtime innovator” coming up with…a quesadilla.
