Effective tomorrow, Boston-based chain of burrito restaurants Boloco will no longer be serving up a diverse menu of burritos and bowls with ingredients inspired by cultures all over the globe. Instead, it will switch to a 100 percent Mexican menu and change its name to Chipdoba Mexican Grill.
These changes come from several years of in-depth market research and observation of some of Chipdoba’s largest competitors. Rather than continue on as a restaurant chain offering various flavors and menu items such as “Bangkok Thai” and “Memphis BBQ,” Chipdoba will stick to a more traditional Mexican menu, taking a cue from other successful, nationwide burrito restaurant chains.
That’s not all that will be changing. Small and mini portion sizes will no longer be available and all burritos and bowls will come in excessively large portions. A “mega monster” size option is also being discussed. To simplify options, Chipdoba will also eliminate gluten-free and vegan items from the menu.
Chipdoba’s business model will differ drastically from the mission and goals that Boloco stuck to for so long. Certain elements of the Boloco brand, such as environmental friendliness, customer service, and responsiveness and action from customer feedback are now being reevaluated for cost-effectiveness.
“In Boloco’s 14 years of existence, we’ve been dedicated to convincing the world that ‘even a burrito can aspire’—that the potential was limitless for what a burrito could be,” says John Pepper, CEO of Chipdoba. “We’ve now realized that in order to succeed, and grow, we better just stick to the basics. That’s what Chipdoba is setting out to accomplish. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, right?”
In an effort to rid all Chipdoba locations of the old “inspired” flavors, customers will be able to receive 50 percent off these menu items in-store on April Fool’s Day (04/01/2011) when they bring in a special promotional e-mail from the company. The Yucatan Habenero and Classic Mexican options will still be offered at regular price. All inquiries can be directed to aprilfools@chipdoba.com.
