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tesg's guide to big chain road food consumption
CHAIN -- Panchero's Mexican
food RULES. Tacos dripping fat from
greasy ground beef in deep fried crispy corn tortilla shells.
Beans cooked in lard. Mountains
of cheddar cheese. So leave it to veggie-loving hippies to screw Mexican food up. Healthier Mexican food has become a fad known in the industry as
"Fresh-Mex". The whole thing started
in San Francisco's Mission District with what's become known as
"Mission-Style Burritos". I call them "five dollar
burritos". Early players were chains like the since-departed Macheezmo Mouse in
Oregon and Chipotle and what became Qdoba in Colorado. In
the Midwest, when father-and-son team Rodney and Thomas Anderson decided to launch their idea of Fresh-Mex, they
did so near the ultimate breeding grounds for people who think they’re ten
thousand times more important than they are…college campuses. Today's Panchero’s isn't what that original store was. Today's Panchero's is basically Chipotle in a more coloful package. It's a very efficient operation with five basic menu items: Burritos, tacos, quesadillas, salads, and fajitas. All are made with flour tortillas (sorry…no hard shell tacos) made fresh to order. They take a ball of dough, press it, and cook it when you order your food. Apparently tortillas cook in a few short seconds...much simpler than that elaborate machine they made tortillas in at Chevy's. All menu items can be had with three varieties of meat (steak, pork, or chicken…NO ground beef) or “grilled veggies”. Certain menu items also get salsa or beans (your choice of pinto or black bean). Sides available include rice, beans, chips, jalapenos, sour cream, and extra meat, cheese, veggies, or extra tortillas. Have a Coke or even a beer with your order. Everything
is assembled to order by a line of employees who work in assembly line fashion
as you migrate by. You move at the speed of the food and answer questions
about how you want your meal prepared ("Do you want salsa with
that?" "NO."). At the end of the line, your food, you, and
the cashier end the harmonious journey (going back to the hippies again). Décor
is typical of the “upscale hippie” look so popular with coffee shops and
restaurants today, some reds, some yellows, some wood tones, some metal, no
false ceiling for that “sort of industrial” look.
The background music is pretty loud and ranges from Earth, Wind &
Fire (no kidding..."Boogie Wonderland" no less) to what would best be described as a
“world/industrial” sort of feel (think Depeche Mode meets New Age). Price
is reasonable for what you get. Two
tacos (they’re only sold in pairs), a side of sour cream and a soda cost me
$5.62 (2004). The tacos had generous
portions of meat. I had one steak and one chicken.
A small amount of mystery cheese, lettuce, and
salsa come standard. I opted out of
the salsa, which ended up being a bad idea because the meats aren't that
flavorful. The big seller is the burritos. They're huge, easily a pound or more, and filled with your choice of meat or the veggie stuff, rice, beans (you pick pintos or black beans), cheese, and your choice of salsa. Add Guac or Sour Cream if you wish for some extra change. It's a two-fister...some opt to cut it up with a knife and fork. I go with their "hot" salsa, which isn't THAT hot, and is really the thing that defines the burrito's flavor. Again, that marinated meat could use some work, but if I were to recommend a best of the three, go for the pork. Frankly, I'm a little surprised at Panchero's success. They were in 14 states as of this writing and growing. They're in a crowded field of fresh mex giants, but they seem to be working. Click here to return to tesg's guide to big chain road food consumption |
