Chipotle wants Susanna Foo's Center City location
A burrito war on Walnut Street.
Chipotle wants Susanna Foo's Center City location
Michael Klein, Philly.com
Extremely primitive photo illustration / The Insider
For nearly a quarter-century until it closed last June, Susanna Foo Chinese Cuisine was one of the landmarks of Philadelphia's Restaurant Row, occupying the brownstone at Walnut and Sydenham Streets.
Foo sold 1512 Walnut to a partnership that intends to redevelop the property.
The building's upper floors are being fashioned into apartments, but I can report exclusively that the prospective new tenant for the ground floor is Chipotle Mexican Grill, a growing quick-serve concept.
Talk is that this location -- Chipotle's first Center City spot -- will respect the building with a green design and will be a flagship of sorts.
The developer, 1512 Walnut Partners LP, has filed papers with the city Zoning Board of Adjustment to fast-track a use variance to allow accessory takeout. Its hearing date is scheduled for Feb. 3.
If it's granted, perhaps we'll see an all-out burrito war with the Qdoba down the block. (Both eateries should experience a degree of synergy with the Apple store coming to 1607 Walnut.)
I've left messages with Chipotle reps to seek further details, such as a timeline.
Comments (21)
This is not what Walnut Street needs. Walnut Street is Philadelphia's upscale shopping/ dinning. We need to keep it this way! Please do not let this happen!!— rlc2052- I agree with mattesq. Especially if Chipotle makes good on it's green design plans. Although more upscale restaurants fit in with Walnut Street's "boutique" flavor, the city has always had trouble retaining the younger folks who come to the city for its wonderful universities. More affordable alternatives will make it easier for students (and parents raising young kids in the Rittenhouse area) to stay on budget and remain in the city after graduation. And, with the economy in flux, none of us can really afford those three martini lunches any more. As long as they preserve the integrity of the building and integrate well with the neighborhood, I say "Welcome."— Rosie1020
- The naysayers have obviously never been to a Chipotle. This is the best news news I've heard this year.
- Would you rather the store front sit empty?? Empty store fronts attract other empty store fronts and when you can fill it with a great company, like Chipotle, other great companies, like Apple, want to fill in other empty spots. If all the previous tenants were so great, why did they close?? Because not enough $$ is coming in. Successful businesses don’t just close, even if the owner doesn’t want to run it any more, it’s sold and it keeps on going until it is not successful anymore. Thankfully national chains have opened in Center City or do you not count: American Apparel; Urban Outfitters (even thought it started in Philly, don't full yourself, it is a international chain store); Starbucks; The Northface; The Gap; Lush; City Sports; Anthropologie; Banana Republic; Brooks Brothers; William & Sonoma; Qdoba; and the list goes on? Stores like these are a compliment to the stores and restaurants that have been able to stay open. If you really wanted to keep Corporate America out of Center City, you should have shopped and eaten there before Wannamaker’s became Lord and Taylor and then later Macy’s. And mattesq makes a wonderful point, Chipotle is one of the most responsible companies around and it is sad that their food quality is most likely better than 99% of the restaurants in the city. Chipotle is awesome and it's about time we got one we don't have to go across the river for!— philly2b
Comment removed.- mattesq- 99% of these comments are from people who moved to the burbs in 1986 and havent been back, or think prime shopping in the city is Liberty Place and cant quite fathom that Walnut Street is not the dinning hub of the city anymore and a lot of life exists below south and above vine- the disconnect between the 'burbs and the city is quite fascinating.— phila215
- The ignorance of these commenters is unreal. Chipotle is more like a Cosi (already on Rittenhouse Row, which nobody seems to mind) than McDonald's/Wendy's. It serves only no antibiotic and free range meat, which is a lot more responsible than 99% of the "gourmet" restaurants in this town. In this economy, just be glad it's not a Taco Bell!— mattesq
- And then Wendy's will move to where Brasserie Perrier used to be. Or something equally disgusting. Long time economic depression was good for us. We had a nice collection of local stores and restaurants - all with character. Now we get fancy, price the small people out of city center and become like any other economically prosperous Main Street in America - sad corporate chain-shops wall to wall. Unless we stop this trend here.— Uncle Bob
- Who else could afford the space? I'm sure the landlord is happy. I'm not happy. The big surprise would be if Philadelphians rejected this business by never patronizing it. It won't happen, I'm sure.— El Metiche
- 'quick-serve concept' = 'fast food restaurant'— MG77
At least the place won't be vacant.— Poppys- This needs to be stopped! It is why they need a variance because this type of restaurant is not suppose to be on Walnut Street. Just because they have money is not an excuse.— Phillies168
- Yeah, Philadelphia is cool, but chain restaurants stink on ice. Its a big loss of character for the block.— padillaflotilla
- Philadelphia isn't dying, it's booming. Susanna Foo was priced out of Walnut by high rents last year, just like Brasserie Perrier. This isn't a sign of death, on the contrary it's another sign that Walnut Street near Rittenhouse is so in demand that only large national chains can afford to rent space there. In the 90's, Walnut St. restaurants like Susanna Foo ignited a restaurant renaissance that has turned Philly into one of the nation's culinary capitals. It also set off a chain reaction that made Walnut more attractive to upscale national chains, and eventually far too expensive for a local start-up restaurant. It's all out in the neighborhoods now - Queens Village, South Philly, Fairmount, Northern Liberties, West Philly all have top-flight restaurants on par with any city in the nation. For all of those who think this is a bad thing, take a trip around and see what your "dying" city has become.— phils08
- OK, Chipotle for Susanna Foo is not a good trade, but to Douggernaut's point, there are plenty of great restaurants in the city, they're just not concentrated on Walnut anymore.
- I don't know why that Chipotle stopped being a title sponsor for the Garmin cycling team. They even had their special Tour de France burrito that was available in July.— catnameddomino
- Good reporting, Michael. Nice scoop!— TF
Philadelphia is dying? Talk about your bandwagon hoppers. We have had 3 Iron Chefs pass through here, one the current talk of the nation. Steven Starr also showcases well and the small restaurants tend to be hits too. On top of that, Philadelphia has been branded a brunch capital of the city. One small Chipotle takes over in a prior chapel to the asian cuisine resurrection and let's all go crazy about it!- "a growing quick-serve concept"? More like crappy Mexican fast food ala Mc Donalds, its one time owner. Sad to see the decline of Chestnut Street.— bjps1353
- Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww...step backwards, indeed.— anon
- What an incredible step backwards. This is not what Philadelphia needs on an alleged exclusive block. We already have a McDonald's and Qdoba. What's next, the Wendy's on Chestnut Street will move into one of the vacant store fronts. What a shame. I love Philadelphia, but it is dying.— rs505
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Michael Klein, the editor/producer of philly.com/Food, writes about the local restaurant scene in his Inquirer column "Table Talk." Have a question? Email it! See his Inquirer work here.
Reach Michael at mklein@philly.com.
Michael Klein
Philly.com
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