America is in the midst of a war. This isn’t a typical war with soldiers or nuclear weapons, but instead one with delicious burritos and irresistible queso. The debate is older than time itself – which semi-fast burrito serving food chain reigns supreme?
For me, there is no contest. The second I walk into Moe’s Southwest and hear an emphatic “Welcome to Moe’s” from the entire staff, I know I’m in the right place.
Don’t get me wrong, Chipotle is alright, but when you have the option I can’t really see how anyone would prefer it over the obvious higher quality option: Moe’s.
All my fellow college students know the struggle of having $10 in their bank account and trying to survive the week in true college kid fashion. Well, Moe’s know the struggle is real, and, unlike Chipotle, they’re here to help.
Head over to the Moe’s on West Magnolia and show them your Tiger Card to take advantage of a deal that’s saved me from hunger on countless occasions. For only $6.75, or $7.25 for pork or steak, you can get any junior burrito, a drink, chips and salsa.
Besides awesome deals like the “college combo,” what separates Moe’s from its main competitor? For one, the meat and other ingredients taste fresher at Moe’s. Do you like chips and salsa? Well if you’re a sane and rational person, the answer to that question was yes. In which case, you’re in luck. With any purchase at Moe’s you can enjoy unlimited chips and salsa – yes, you heard that right.
For a lot of people, Moe’s having queso over the queso-less Chipotle was what set the two apart. As you may have heard, Chipotle has recently rolled out their own queso after 24 years of business – how embarrassing. Chipotle’s queso experiment is currently only in their West Coast and Midwest stores with plans to move to the rest of the United States later.
On the other hand, Moe’s has had queso since day one, and it’s delicious. So, why applaud a company like Chipotle for catching up with the times and finally offering such an essential food option? After all, no one remembers the eighth man to walk on the moon; we’re too focused on Neil Armstrong.
Now, let’s address the big, disease-ridden elephant in the room. That’s right, I’m talking about the E. Coli, Norovirus and Salmonella outbreaks of 2015 that forced many Chipotle stores to close down and for Chipotle’s stock to plummet.
The multiple outbreaks affected nearly 500 customers in 10 different states in 2015 alone. However, the Mexican food chain has yet to clean up its act. There was another Salmonella outbreak that resulted in more than 130 customers sick in Sterling, Virginia.
The outbreak of multiple foodborne illnesses in the last couple of years has turned a lot of customers away from Chipotle and allowed Moe’s to pull ahead as America’s favorite Mexican-inspired food brand, according to a 2016 CNBC report.
Apparently, I am not alone in my sentiment. According to “Hater,” a dating app that, rather than matching people on their mutual interests, matches people based on the things they hate, the state of Alabama’s most commonly hated food is, in fact the subpar Mexican grill known as Chipotle.
If you’re on the fence or you’re tired of Chipotle’s bland atmosphere and lack of free chips then get up, go to your nearest Moe’s and thank me later.
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