In a town like Owatonna, food isn’t just food, it’s part of the community. When it comes to burritos and bowls students at Owatonna High School seem split between two favorites, the local, family-owned Red & Green Burrito and the national chain Chipotle Mexican Grill.
Red & Green Burrito has been serving Owatonna for years, building a reputation as a hometown staple. Meanwhile, Chipotle offers a well-known brand with locations all over the country. So which one do students prefer?
Junior Jacob Dut says, “I like going to both, it feels good supporting Red and Green Burrito since they probably aren’t as busy anymore since Chipotle opened up, and red and green has always been there, so I have to stay loyal, but I also love me some good Chipotle.”
A poll showed that the small town family business Red and Green Burrito was the students favorite by just a small amount, just 114 to 111 students. (52% to 48%)
Several students mentioned the
atmosphere as a big factor. Junior Owen Kubicek says, “Chipotle can get pretty dirty on the inside and the workers there don’t do their best at cleaning up all the time, while Red and Green always seems to be pretty clean and a great place to eat with my buddies.”
While Red and Green was voted the better burrito and bowl place in town, Senior Gavin Burmeister thinks otherwise, he says “I love Chipotle, I think it is a lot better for many reasons, they have really good limited meats such as; chicken el pastor, honey chicken, and carne asada also they have better queso and better rice, overall I think chipotle is better and it is my first and only choice.”
Speed also came up in conversations. Some students think Red and Green is a lot quicker, because it’s not too busy and Chipotle seems like it is always packed and can take up to 30 minutes Sophomore Ty Behlmore said, “My go to is Chipotle, but I’d always be down to go to Red and Green Burrito because Chipotle can get really busy, and can take up to half an hour just to get my food, and also it feels good to support a family ran business.”
Price and portion size were debated too. A few students felt Red & Green gives bigger portions for the cost, while others thought the prices were fairly similar between the two. Senior Ethan Borchert says “I think the portion size is pretty similar, red and green might give a little bit more, but it is fairly similar. Red and Green’s queso is free, unlike Chipotle where it is an extra 2 dollars which is really nice since I love queso on my bowl.
No matter which side students choose, one thing is clear burritos, and bowls are a big part of the students’ lunch choices in Owatonna.
