Chipotle On Its Way To Wilton, Into Former Boston Market Location

WILTON, CT — A Chipotle restaurant will be moving into the space in Wilton vacated by Boston Market last year.

The fast casual Mexican restaurant, famous for the burritos, bowls and tacos made in front of customers, will join T.J. Maxx, Michael's, Outback and other tenants in the Gateway Shopping Center at 14 Danbury Road.

Michael Wrinn, Wilton's town planner and director of Planning & Land Use Management, estimated it would be "another couple of months" before the restaurant would be open for business, based on the current state of its construction.

The previous tenant's exit was among a "death spiral" of evictions that shuttered Boston Markets in West Hartford, Danbury, Old Greenwich, Stratford, Meriden and East Haven late last year. Fortunately for Wilton, the Newport Beach, California-based Chipotle was quick to claim the available space at Gateway, Wrinn told Patch.

The Wilton site will be Chipotle's 35th restaurant in Connecticut, and it opens amidst a new emphasis upon their takeout and digital business. Using the drive-thru "Chipotlane," customers in Wilton will be able to place their orders through the Chipotle mobile app or via website, then pick it up without ever having to leave their car.

The chain has been weathering some unexpected ill will in the wake of a Chipotle food review posted earlier this month. TikToker and food reviewer Keith Lee, with over 16.5 million views, complained about a lack of chicken in his burrito bowl, saying the "portions been crazy low."

Laurie Schalow, chief corporate affairs and food safety officer at Chipotle, told Forbes "there have been no changes in our portion sizes, and we have reinforced proper portioning with our employees."

Chipotle sites are not franchises. All restaurants are owned and operated directly by the corporation.

In March, crews were called to extinguish a fire from a rooftop heating and ventilation unit atop the building. No one was injured.