Chipotle to radically overhaul restaurant interior as Bethesda businesses refine coronavirus protocols

X marks the spot at Sweetgreen

Bethesda restaurants are introducing and expanding new protocols to limit the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus as Montgomery County officials hesitate to reopen the economy here. As a result, service continues to be takeout-only, although Gov. Larry Hogan's lifting of the Stay-at-Home order for the majority of the state has boosted traffic and caused some shuttered eateries to decide to reopen for takeout service in recent days. A Bethesda bar employee testing positive for the virus in recent days reminds us that the coronavirus is still very present in our community.

Sweetgreen

Chipotle in downtown Bethesda is making one of the most dramatic changes in how it will operate, but expect these seemingly-radical protocols to become standard in our new abnormal. The burrito restaurant at 7600 Old Georgetown Road is preparing to rip out a counter, wall sections and several pieces of kitchen equipment. It will then a second preparation line in the kitchen, and install a dish sanitizer and an additional handwashing station. In the customer area, Chipotle will install a new counter, a new sneeze-guard system, and new pick-up shelving.

Sweetgreen

At Bethesda Row, Sweetgreen has placed markers on the sidewalk along Bethesda Avenue for customers to stand on as they await pickup of their orders. Neighbor Quartermaine Coffee Roasters has a similar set-up, but at a counter with social distancing. Maryland's mask order remains in effect, and Quartermaine even has official Quatermaine logo masks available for $8 at their Bethesda Row store.

Quartermaine Coffee Roasters face masks

The Chipotle changes give a hint of how restaurants will have to change the preparation process as much as the order fulfillment process. But this will be a major challenge for many mom-and-pop restaurants. Many kitchens are small by nature. Social-distancing is nearly impossible without either a slowdown in service and/or layoffs of extra prep cooks, or without the kind of renovations Chipotle is pursuing.

Social distancing counter outside Quartermaine

Dine-in seating will be a whole other issue. Spacing of tables and masks certainly reduce the risk compared to traditional operations. But they are also largely psychological, as masks must come off to eat and drink, thereby defeating their purpose. Diners will still be in an enclosed space for a lengthy period, one of the major risk factors for Covid-19 transmission. And just how already-squeezed restaurateurs are going to pay Bethesda rents at 1/3 or 1/2 of capacity each day is truly puzzling.

Some economists have warned that as many as half of the restaurants in America may not reopen or recover from the nationwide lockdown. That's got to be additionally concerning in moribund Montgomery County where profit margins for restaurants are razor thin, and the industry has remained flat even as nearby jurisdictions have enjoyed growth in their dining sectors over the last decade, according to the Restaurant Association of Maryland.

NEW CHIPOTLE AT WESTFIELD MONTGOMERY MALL NOW OPEN (PHOTOS)

Chipotle is now open in the Dining Terrace at Westfield Montgomery Mall. It is next to Lobster ME.

YOUR CHIPOTLE CUP CAN BROADEN YOUR MIND IN BETHESDA (PHOTO)

When I think of fast food cup designs of the ages, my recollections are more along the lines of Jurassic Park or Batman cups at McDonald's. But Chipotle is fast casual, and if the elitists are to be believed, for a more sophisticated crowd.

That's why Chipotle's new collector cups and bags feature a more literary approach - literally. Their Cultivating Thought campaign is placing essays from prominent literary figures onto the restaurant's packaging. Featured authors include:

·       Amy Tan – The Joy Luck Club, Sagwa, The Bonesetter’s Daughter

·       Augusten Burroughs – Running With Scissors, Dry, Magical Thinking

·       Aziz Ansari – Parks and Recreation, Date and Switch

·       Barbara Kingslover – The Poisonwood Bible, Flight Behavior

·       Carlos Ruiz Zafon – The Angel’s Game, The Prisoner of Heaven

·       Jeffrey Eugenides – Middlesex, The Marriage Plot, The Virgin Suicides

·       Julia Alvarez – In the Time of the Butterflies, Finding Miracles, How the García Girls Lost Their Accents

·       Neil Gaiman – Coraline, The Sandman, American Gods

·       Paulo Coelho – Veronika Decides to Die, The Alchemist, Eleven Minutes

·       Walter Issacson – Steve Jobs, Kissinger: A Biography, Einstein: His Life and Universe

Peter Benson, a Chipotle spokesperson, says that the promotion is designed to "create a moment of analog pause in a digital world, and offer customers the chance to engage with the unique perspectives, thought-provoking ideas and discussion of cultural issues." The upscale burrito chain sought to have global and multicultural representation among the chosen writers.

Chipotle has two Bethesda locations:

7600 Old Georgetown Road

Westfield Montgomery Mall

SHOPHOUSE BETHESDA ROW ADDS NEW SAUCE OPTION, GIVING AWAY FREE BOWLS THIS MONTH

ShopHouse fans, you have a new sauce option to add to your bowl at Bethesda Row. Peanut Sauce, a sweet and savory combination of toasted and crushed peanuts, coconut milk, palm sugar, tamarind, garlic, shallots, lemongrass, dried Thai chilies and palm sugar joined tamarind vinaigrette, green curry and spicy red curry sauces on the menu this past Thursday.

Also new is a "House Favorites" selection of 4 popular bowl combinations, a good choice for new or indecisive ShopHouse customers.

You may know that ShopHouse is from the same corporate parent of Chipotle. But this month, saving your Chipotle entrée receipt will score you a free bowl at ShopHouse every Saturday in November, from 11 AM to 10 PM.

ShopHouse

4820 Bethesda Avenue

(240) 316-3500

SIGNS OF THE FUTURE (AND THE HOLIDAYS) AT WESTFIELD MONTGOMERY MALL IN BETHESDA (PHOTOS)

The permanent indoor ArcLight Cinemas sign has been installed near the escalator that will transport patrons from the Dining Terrace floor up to the 16-screen cineplex starting November 4. Also announcing its near-future arrival in the Dining Terrace is Chipotle.

In Sears, meanwhile, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, with one of the most unique decorations I've seen in years - a Christmas-themed Darth Vader. The price tag is mighty steep at $199.99. I'm expecting a working lightsaber for that amount.

CHIPOTLE, CAVA MEZZE GRILL OPENING AT WESTFIELD MONTGOMERY MALL IN BETHESDA

Westfield Montgomery Mall is adding two more dining options, and both are already favorites in downtown Bethesda. Chipotle and Cava Mezze Grill are the latest additions to an exploding roster of restaurants. Like last summer's addition of Starbucks, both provide mall patrons with popular brands, and should be a draw for the sizable lunch crowd from the office parks and high school nearby.

BETHESDA CHIPOTLE CLOSED UNTIL THURSDAY NOW (PHOTOS)

¡No puede ser! The Bethesda Chipotle, which was to reopen today at 11 AM, has postponed the reopening until this Thursday, December 13, at 11 AM.

The restaurant has been closed for a week for extensive kitchen renovations.  Those renovations are behind schedule, although no specific cause for the delay was specified.

Muy mal noticías for Chipotle fans in Bethesda.

BETHESDA CHIPOTLE CLOSED UNTIL DECEMBER 11

Chipotle in downtown Bethesda closed late Friday night for extensive kitchen renovations.  The restaurant will not reopen until 11 AM on December 11, 2012.

Many frustrated customers were arriving to find the doors locked.

If you are in that area, and want burritos for lunch during the closure, the easiest thing to do is to board the Bethesda Circulator on Woodmont Avenue.  Take it to Elm Street at Bethesda Row, walk west on Elm, and Boloco will be on your left.

Boloco has a similar menu, and you can just take another free Circulator trip back when you're done (or with your carry-out bag).