Moe's Southwest Grill and Chipotle are two dining options in Auburn. Although they offer similar cuisines, each restaurant has its own elements that make it different.
Anne Penrose, licensed dietician and graduate assistant, said she has never been to Moe's Southwest Grill and has eaten at Chipotle only a few times.
After dining at Chipotle, Penrose formed an opinion of her own.
"It's fast and convenient and it tastes good, to be honest," Penrose said. "It's a fast food version of a sit-down meal."
Although she said she enjoys Chipotle, Penrose said healthy options are available at both restaurants.
"They offer kind of the same things, but it's all about moderation," Penrose said. "In terms of the plate you could build, they are similar."
After researching the two restaurants, Penrose said she learned Chipotle tries to get ingredients locally when possible, and Moe's tries to get hormone-free meat.
However, she said even though the restaurants share similar dining options, they have their differences.
"I think their overall atmospheres are different," Penrose said. "They are different from when you walk in one to another."
Penrose said no matter where students choose to dine, "it's about knowing the smart choices to make."
Courtney Cox, junior in nursing, said she prefers Moe's rather than Chipotle.
"I like their chicken and queso better," Cox said.
According to Cox, her favorite thing on the Moe's menu is their quesadillas.
However, she attributes the success of Chipotle in Auburn to its advertisement of fresh and local ingredients.
"I feel like it gets promoted on college campuses," Cox said. "Especially ours because of our agriculture program."
Cox said she appreciates Moe's for reasons other than their quesadillas.
"It's really good Tex-Mex, and it's fast," Cox said.
Andrea Tuttolomondo, sophomore in communication disorders, said she likes Chipotle and Moe's.
"I don't think one is better than the other," Tuttolomondo said.
According to Tuttolomondo, she has eaten at both restaurants, and they share one thing in common.
"They're both kind of overwhelming," Tuttolomondo said.
Tuttolomondo said she thinks more people prefer Chipotle.
"I think Chipotle has fresher ingredients," Tuttolomondo said. "I guess it's just personal preference."
Tuttolomondo also considers one thing to be a downfall of Chipotle.
"The cilantro," Tuttolomondo said. "That's why a lot of people don't like Chipotle."
Unlike Tuttolomondo, Trent Boyd, senior in information systems management, said he loves Chipotle.
"It is always fresh and consistently good food," Boyd said.
Boyd said his favorite meal from Chipotle is a burrito with brown rice, black beans, chicken, salsa, corn, cheese and sour cream.
"It's enough food to always fill me up," Boyd said.
Boyd said he attributes the success of Chipotle to its organic, homegrown, fresh food.
"People prefer Chipotle and are willing to stand behind Chipotle because Chipotle stands for strong things," Boyd said.
However, Boyd said he realizes that strong stance may be the reason for people disliking Chipotle.
"You don't have people who are on the fence about Chipotle," Boyd said. "You have people who love Chipotle or hate it."
While the two dining options in Auburn offer similar cuisines in different ways, customers can enjoy healthy choices at each.
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