Chipotle's Arrival In East Harlem Sparks Fear Among Mexican Businesses

EAST HARLEM, NY — On "Little Mexico," the East Harlem street lined with taco shops, burrito joints and family-owned restaurants, businesses are mobilizing against a new arrival that they see as a threat to their livelihoods: Chipotle Mexican Grill.

The Mexican-style chain is opening a new restaurant this summer at 165 East 116th St. — the heart of Little Mexico — for its first East Harlem location, as Patch reported earlier this month. That news, while welcome to lovers of Chipotle's cilantro-lime rice or roasted barbacoa, has drawn fierce opposition in East Harlem.

"Having Chipotle next door, it will hurt their business," said Diana Larrazabal, who leads a merchants' association representing East 116th Street's small businesses, adding that she had spoken to a number of concerned business owners in recent days.

Among them was Jackie Martinez, owner of Hot Jalapenõ, which sits across the street from Chipotle's future site. Rather than taking away customers, Martinez said she fears the deep-pocketed company will siphon away her employees — as she already contends with a staffing shortage.

"I’m not worried about customers, because as a small business we have fresh food," Martinez told Patch. "It’s a big company, they pay more than we do."

Things came to a head at a tense Community Board 11 meeting Tuesday evening, where members voted to recommend that the city reject Chipotle's application for a liquor license — a move that supporters described as a last-ditch effort to exert some control over the company's move-in.

"If we erase our immigrant status by allowing these white-catered companies to come here and brand themselves as, in this case, a Mexican-Spanish restaurant for burrito bowls, we are erasing a part of Harlem’s culture," said board member Briana Dacosta, explaining her no-vote.

The 18-2 vote, with 11 abstentions, overturned a previous recommendation from CB11's licensing committee that Chipotle's liquor application be approved. During the meeting, board members faced pressure from local advocates to vote against Chipotle — including from Pilar de Jesús, vice president of the neighborhood group East Harlem Preservation, which has led the opposition.

"Out of all the blocks they could’ve went to, why did they have to choose 116th Street?" de Jesús told Patch before the meeting. "As a Mexicana-Puertorriqueña, it’s disrespect to my culture."

Signs of compromise

Chipotle did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The company previously told Patch that the restaurant will feature a standard dining room as well as a walk-up sidewalk window for customers to pick up online orders.

Even during Tuesday's contentious board meeting, there were signs of a future compromise: member Jessica Morris said Chipotle representatives will attend a CB11 meeting next month, where members plan to raise the possibility of a "small-business incubator partnership" that could support the small businesses along 116th Street.

"[It] would amplify the authenticity of existing small businesses and perhaps provide a type of support that doesn’t necessarily come through municipal agencies or other small businesses," Morris said.

Martinez, the Hot Jalapeño owner, said recent staffing shortages have forced her to push back her restaurant's opening from 10 a.m. to noon each day — and may delay it even further to 4 p.m. if she loses more workers.

Still, while Martinez expects customers will flood Chipotle when it first opens, drawn by its cheap prices, she believes people will later return to the locally-owned businesses they know and trust.

"Because it’s new in the neighborhood, everybody’s going to go over there," she said. "Eventually, they're going to come back."

Related coverage: New Chipotle Opening On 116th Street In East Harlem, Plans Show

Have a Harlem news tip? Contact reporter Nick Garber at nick.garber@patch.com.