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For many years now, if you took a poll, Chipotle has been one of the names at the top of the local wish list for new businesses around Milledgeville, right up there with Target, Panera Bread and Red Lobster.
Now, it's happening. The architectural drawings have been submitted to City Hall and the permits approved, and ground is expected to be broken on the new Chipotle location in the coming months.
The restaurant will occupy the northeast corner of North Columbia Street and Dunlap Road and be next-door neighbors with Popeye's Louisiana Kitchen. The Milledgeville location will be the third in Middle Georgia, joining the one on Tom Hill Sr. Boulevard in Macon and the one near the Air Force base in Warner Robins.
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According to the architectural drawings, the new Chipotle will have a 20-seat patio, as well as inside seating for 42, bringing its total seating to 62.
Sally Evans, a media relations analyst with Chipotle, relayed to Baldwin2k News earlier this week that "we are currently scheduled to open a location in Milledgeville at some point this fall." Evans added that much more information would be available closer to the grand opening.
The development group that owns the property previously took over the old "Toyota dealership" property and divided it into three commercial parcels. The first was quickly gobbled up by Panda Express, and later came Popeye's. The final parcel sat idle for several years before Chipotle came on board.
From the order of the ingredients behind the counter all the way to the aluminum foil, Chipotle will be remarkably similar to Barberito's, located downtown, and Surcheros, located on Roberson Mill Road by Applebee's.
Much like chicken finger places, however, there seems to be plenty of demand for fresh burrito-style restaurants around Milledgeville. Barberito's has had a strong following for years, and Surcheros continues to grow in popularity and is doing good business.
If you build it, they will come. Or, at least that's the plan.
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