ASHLAND – For friends Byron Reyna and Chris Carrillo, three hours was not too long to wait for the grand opening of the Ashland Chipotle Thursday morning.
The two men arrived in the Chipotle parking lot on U.S. 250 around 7:45 a.m., making them the first customers in line to order food when the restaurant opened its doors at 10:45.
“I’ve always loved Chipotle,” Reyna said. “I always went down to the Chipotle in Mansfield for lunch, so once it was opening here figured I might as well stop in and see if I could be first.”
The opening has been long-awaited in Ashland. When ground was broken on the site in December, a May opening date for Chipotle was announced. After some delays, Ashland’s Chipotle is finally open, and the people in line Thursday morning said it was worth the wait.
Jeromesville resident Megan Boyd was in line with her 2-year-old nephew waiting for their opportunity to try Chipotle’s new queso, which just launched Tuesday nationwide.
“I want a burrito with some corn salsa. I want to try that queso that they have. My son loves it. My husband loves it. We’ve been waiting ever since they announced it. We anticipated May when they first said, and now finally it’s here,” Boyd said.
By the time the doors opened, around 75 people were in line.
Prior to the restaurant opening, the Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon cutting to officially welcome Chipotle to the Ashland community. Chamber President Barbie Lange, Ashland Mayor Duane Fishpaw and a representative from U.S. Rep. Bob Gibbs’ office were on-hand to greet manager Becca Hunt, marketing director Hannah Lewis and field leader Scott Hammer.
“You have welcomed us with such open arms. I get emails several times a week from someone in your community saying how excited they are for the store to open. We’re happy to serve you and happy to be here,” Lewis said.
