Tito's Almost Here—New Burrito Place to Open

Every really good town requires a standout burrito place—it's mandatory, really. Ridgewood is on its way to join that echelon of communities.

Set to open in late September, Tito's Burritos will provide the village with that much needed jolt of energy emerging from south of the border. A locally owned restaurant, Tito's offers a "Cal-Mex" blend of food—featuring a variety of tacos, burritos, quesadillas and even chicken wings.

With two locations, in Summit and Morristown, co-owner Mike Caldarella said Tito's has searched for the perfect expansion location, and found it in Ridgewood.  They'll be setting up shop at 166 East Ridgewood Ave.

"We looked at lots of communities and liked what's going on in Ridgewood," Caldarella said, comparing the newest shop to their first restaurant in Summit. "This town needs a good place for Mexican food. We're flexible, offer healthy choices and can pile it on, too."

For local Mexican establishments like Tito's Burritos, it's easy to draw comparisons to larger chains like Chipotle, Qdoba, or Baja Fresh. Caldarella concedes that there are some similarities with it and the chains, calling them "quick, casual" places that offer good, fresh food but prepared quickly.

At Tito's, he says, the depth of their menu is much greater.

"Everything is with fresh ingredients. We prepare your meal to your order—anything is customizable.  Chain restaurants are replicated and they simplify their operations in a way... We're not afraid to compete. People will notice if they spend $8.95 there and comes to Tito's and spend the same amount, they'll get a lot more," Caldarella said.

He believes the superior customer service, in addition to its wider menu, is what sets Tito's apart.

"Our philosophy is not to do the same thing every time. You'll never hear anyone say, 'No, I can't do that.' We train our management to figure out how to do it for you," he said.

Additionally, Tito's tries to incorporate community elements into its menu—using local farmers, when possible—and give back to the town by offering demonstrations at elementary schools.

Caldarella and Tito's other owners came into the restaurant business with music backgrounds. Therefore, he says, they operate based more on common sense than industry boilerplate logic. They've paced themselves, too. The Summit location opened in 2005 and Morristown in 2008.

"We're taking our fine time and have worked to get each restaurant right," he said.

That pacing goes along with the start-up process. Ridgewood probably won't open until late September. As general manager, Caldarella has worked to get Tito's paperwork in order.

"People in Ridgewood are strict but efficient. They know what they want, but have been great to work with. It's ultimately to protect the town," he said on the permitting process.

As the shop gets closer to debuting, passersby along East Ridgewood Avenue will see the silly, unorthodox nature of  Tito's. Currently, a yellow sign indicates "Tito is coming!" with their cartoon mascot in the window's lower left-hand corner. The sign will change, with Tito taking on a more prominent role as opening day nears.

A conceptual character—there's no real Tito (although Caldarella says people think his name is Tito)—the fat, slovenly mascot "is a hedonistic dude" who personifies the pig-out desire everyone has inside them. Nestled down the block from the Country Pancake House—a Travel Channel top national pig-out place—Tito's should allow Ridgewood residents to gorge themselves for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

For more information, visit Tito's website. Check out Summit Patch's review of Tito's first location.