Mexican food lovers and fast food regulars residing in Gresham applaud with excitement the opening of Gresham’s first Chipotle, which offers addictively delicious and reasonably healthy food at an affordable price.

The long anticipated Mexicali chain opened its doors Wednesday, Nov. 21. Chipotle serves a variety of choices of organic meat and a wide assortment of fresh, healthy ingredients.

According to manager Alma Calderon, since the opening there have been crowds of people and long lines full of customers who are already familiar with Chipotle from other locations such as Clackamas Town Center and Lloyd Center.

“It has gone past my expectations. It’s going really well and we’ve been really, really busy,” Calderon said. “Customers who know Chipotle were really excited to have one in Gresham.”

One of the things that amazed her and the crew was how passionate some customers were about Chipotle. Paul Pham, a senior here and regular Chipotle customer, could very well go under that category.

“I like Chipotle because it is a fast food restaurant that serves organic and fresh food,” Pham said. “When you think of fast food, you usually think of fats and grease like at McDonalds, but here you don’t see any of that. The food is actually healthy, and you get to customize your entree. A bowl, a taco, a burrito, etc.”

Pham usually orders a bowl with chicken, fajita vegetables, brown rice, fresh tomato salsa, roasted chili-corn salsa, sour cream, cheese, lettuce and guacamole.

“The bowl that you make is unique to your taste, and that combination of ingredients fits my taste buds very well,” Pham said.

Though many believe that Chipotle is not the healthiest choice in regards to calorie count, large serving portions and sodium content, it just all depends on what the consumer decides to order. Many of the options on Chipotle’s menu are very healthy, as they offer delicious, fresh ingredients and organic meat.

According to Calderon, Chipotle is the biggest company that buys naturally raised meat.

“Chipotle uses naturally raised meat, organic beans and natural cheese with no hormones or antibiotics,” Calderon said. “Nothing is canned or frozen. We do everything fresh. It’s high quality food and nothing is pre-made.”

A major benefit of Chipotle is having the ability to choose between various options: burritos, burrito bowls, tacos and salads. They dish up a range of meats as well: chicken, steak, barbacoa and carnitas. They also offer additional options including white rice, brown rice, black beans, pinto beans, fajita vegetables, fresh tomato salsa, roasted chili-corn salsa, tomatillo-green chili salsa, tomatillo-red chili salsa, sour cream, cheese, guacamole and romaine lettuce.

Therefore, for those who are more health-conscious, they have the ability to pick and choose between the options.

For example, choosing to order and consume the burrito bowl instead of a burrito will automatically reduce the calorie count by 290 calories from the absence of the tortilla. Additionally, the barbacoa meat contains less calories than that of the other meats.

“We care about the customers, we care about the crew,” Calderon said. “And we are really interested in helping out the community and in helping out in any way we can through offering healthy foods and through fundraisers also.”

According to Pham, he is glad that there is a Chipotle close to school because now he will not have to travel down to Clackamas Town Center so often.

“I usually go about once a week, at least I try. I go regularly because the food is cheap, well made, fresh, healthy and good. A $6.25 bowl of rice and chicken, veggies, tomatoes and such is worth it,” Pham said.

Junior Alex Wright also sees the benefit of finally having a Chipotle closer to home.

“I don’t go often, but it is definitely better tasting and better for you than fast food,” Wright said. “I’m glad there’s one closer because it’s more convenient now if I do want it.”

Wright usually orders the bowls because for him, it goes good with chips and the leftovers are easy to take home.

In regard to affordability, though food prices at Chipotle may seem higher than those of other fast food restaurants at first glance, Chipotle’s food is relatively low priced considering the large portions they offer.

“I like it because the food is really good compared to places like Taco Bell, but not as expensive as Mexican restaurants,” Wright said.

According to Calderon, the prices at Chipotle are pretty average, as all the items average out to about six dollars.

Calderon thinks it is a good idea for local high school students to choose Chipotle for lunch. Students can even place their orders by phone, fax, app or online.

“We have many options for students to pick up food faster if they don’t have much time,” Calderon said. “We have a really good crew and we are working hard. We are working our best to be fast and efficient to meet expectations everyday.”

The Gresham Chipotle is located on 2065 NE Burnside Road Gresham, OR 97030 and is open Monday-Sunday 11 a.m.-10 p.m.