Customers filled the Chipotle Mexican Grill at Miller Hill Mall in Duluth on Thursday for the soft opening of the restaurant.
“It was a mock opening today, like a soft training run for our team,” said Mike Fuller, spokesman for Chipotle Mexican Grill. “We had a lunch and dinner one, so that both shifts could feel their way through the process of the restaurant.”
Chipotle’s official grand opening is Friday during regular business hours from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Chipotle is in storefront space facing Miller Trunk Highway between Noodles & Company and Sport Clips Haircuts for men, with access only from the parking lot.
The restaurant is one of two fast-casual Mexican food chains set to open in Duluth this summer; Qdoba Mexican Grill is looking at a July 21 opening at BlueStone Commons on Woodland Avenue.
The restaurant openings mark not only the two chains' first entry in the Duluth market but also their first restaurants in Northeastern Minnesota.
