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You might remember a time long, long ago when Chipotle was the restaurant of choice for anyone looking for a quick meal that they could convince themselves was healthy.
The only thing the chain really had to worry about was the rampant theft of bottles of green Tabasco, and the most common complaint amongst customers was that guacamole cost extra.
However, that all changed a few years ago when E. Coli, salmonella, and norovirus decided to team up and do everything they could to take down the king of fast casual. People around the country contracted severe cases of food poisoning and the company’s stock began to plummet as both consumers and investors lost faith in the chain.
Chipotle started doing whatever it could to stop customers from flocking to competitors, which included introducing a number of new menu items. When the addition of chorizo to the menu failed to get people pumped up, it decided to swallow its pride and do something it had avoided for years: start making queso.
People were thrilled when the liquid cheese magically appeared on the behind-the-glass buffet back in September— at least until they tried it. The new item was universally panned for its grainy texture and tendency to start clumping up almost immediately after ordering, and Chipotle was faced with yet another crisis.
However, Business Insider reports the chain has already learned the error of its ways. They visited Chipotle’s test kitchen and tried their retooled version of queso, which is apparently less repulsive than its predecessor:
“[T]aste testers found Chipotle’s original queso recipe to be too grainy to be enjoyed with chips, the queso we ordered on Wednesday was substantially less grainy. Even after it had been sitting out, it retained the proper texture of a dip instead of degrading into a sort of bizarre chowder.
The flavors were slightly different as well — still a little smoky, but more of an even, overall heat.”
Will this be the magical solution to Chipotle’s many problems? Probably not.
But in the immortal words of a young Miami Heat fan: “Good job. Good effort.”