Chipotle's Assembly Line Timeline

Kyle Stock and Vanessa Wong at Bloomberg have an interesting look at the history of Chipotle, one of my favorite semi-fast food (or "fast casual") restaurants. 

I'm hesitant to completely buy into Chipotle's quality ingredient claims—all companies have some degree of marketing spin, after all—but I feel like Chipotle is one of the places most deserving of my trust as a consumer.

For one thing, the food at Chipotle always tastes fresh, even compared to other fast casual places like Panera, where although the food is prepared after you order it, you can tell a difference. I don't think I've ever had a burrito from Chipotle that hasn't tasted great. Compare this to Qdoba, which while similar in the type of food and assembly line execution, does not come anywhere close to matching the freshness or taste.

Stock and Wong's article is a fascinating and relatively quick read. If Chipotle's skyrocketing success in the fast food industry continues, it could mark a change in direction for the food industry, which I am all for.