Newburgh’s New Chipotle Opening Has Been A Major Headache

Newburgh finally got its new Chipotle, but the opening weekend wasn't exactly smooth sailing.

Long waits, food shortages and mobile order problems were among the complaints.

I Waited Over An Hour At Newburgh's New Chipotle

Welber Zone

I was excited for Chipotle to open in Newburgh. I wrote about it. I covered the buildup. So when I decided to place a mobile order this weekend, I was genuinely looking forward to it.

That's not how it went.

I Left Without My Food. I'm Not The Only One

Welber Zone

I placed my order around 5:15 p.m. and was given a 5:40 pickup time. By 5:45, staff told me they had run out of brown rice for the day. I looked around and counted roughly 15 to 20 people ahead of me, all waiting for their mobile pickup orders, all with the same frustrated look on their faces.

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I had somewhere to be at 7 p.m., so I couldn't wait indefinitely. After nearly an hour of waiting, with at least 15 people ahead of me in the pickup queue, I left without my food.

One woman near me had been waiting 80 minutes and still didn't have her order when I walked out. Before I left she was told her order was next. For her sake, I truly hope so.

Here's what made it even more frustrating. People who walked in off the street after me, waited in the regular line, ordered, and ate their entire meals before my mobile order ever came up. I had placed my order an hour before they even walked through the door.

Welber Zone

I tried to cancel my order on the app. It wouldn't let me. I asked staff to cancel it in person. They couldn't do it either. I was told I had to call a phone number to get a refund. After a lengthily time on-hold, I thankfully was able to get a full-refund.

I've heard from others who had similar experiences at the Newburgh location this weekend. The mobile order system, which is supposed to make things faster and easier, seems to be doing the opposite right now, at least at this location in its opening days.

Chipotle Responds

Welber Zone

I reached out to Chipotle for comment before publishing this story and they apologized for the issues.

"I’m very sorry for the experience you had at our Newburgh Town Center restaurant. What you described is not the experience we want our guests to have, nor does it reflect the standards we hold ourselves to," a spokesperson told me. "I’ve personally reached out to the field leadership team responsible for this restaurant to make sure the issues you experienced are addressed immediately. We take your feedback very seriously and appreciate you bringing it to our attention."

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