A Chipotle Mexican Grill Could Soon Open Inside a Waterville, Maine, Hotel
According to the Kennebec Journal, Waterville, Maine could soon be home to another chain restaurant.
It wasn't that long ago, July to be exact, that the Chipotle Mexican Grill at the Market Place @ Augusta closed down. And, depending on who you talk to, it was for a multitude of reasons.
Former staff say that the corporate office shut the franchise down because employees were attempting to unionize due to less-than-desirable working conditions.
Chipotle's corporate office said that they had to close down the restaurant because they weren't able to keep it adequately staff.
Well, on the heels of that closure, a Waterville, Maine hotel owner says they are moving forward with plans to bring a Chipotle Mexican Grill to one of its hotels. Giri Hotel Management, a Massachusetts-based company and owner of Waterville's Best Western Plus, says they want to remodel the building's event center into the restaurant, according to the KJ.
But again, depending on who you ask, this is both going to happen and not going to happen.
Chipotle's corporate team released a statement indicating they have 'no plans to open a Chipotle in Waterville', according to the KJ article.
However, Waterville's Code Enforcement Officer, Dan Bradstreet, says he HAS in fact received a site plan for review from Chipotle that they had filed with the Waterville Planning Board.
The KJ also reports that hotel management has filed a traffic movement permit application with the Maine DOT which, if approved, would allow them to include a drive-thru window at the new Waterville eatery.
Former employees of the Augusta Chipotle location say that if the process to bring a new store to Waterville advances, they will protest the decision.
This is a developing story and we will continue to provide updates as they become available to us.