Columbians Line Up for Yogurt, Burritos

When two chain restaurants came to Morningside Heights recently, they fed into many residents’ worst fears—that existent local businesses would lose ground to these national franchises.

Local favorites like newspaper store Global Ink and Cuban restaurant La Rosita are out, and chains Chipotle and Pinkberry are in. And, if the lines outside are any indication, they’re doing better business than almost anyone else in the neighborhood.

Chipotle, a fast-food burrito chain that opened in June, regularly sports lines reaching out the door and onto Broadway. Pinkberry, the Southern California-based frozen yogurt chain, opened a store on Broadway last week, and has been doing equally well. Lines on the first few days of business stretched out the doors, and even now, they reach back to the front doors.

Chipotle franchises are known for selling only naturally-raised meats and making the burritos to order, assembly-line style, rather than heating them under a lamp—practices which makes all the difference, frequenters said.

James McBroom, CC ’09, described himself as a regular patron of Chipotle. In addition to praising the quality of the food, he also noted Chipotle’s convenience. Its presence in the neighborhood, McBroom said, provided a welcome complement to Taqueria y Fonda la Mexicana, the beloved eatery on Amsterdam Avenue that serves traditional Mexican food, rather than Tex-Mex.

Rakeyah Evans, a recent Columbia College graduate, also emphasized the quality of the food, saying, “It’s fresh, it’s good, it’s fast, and it’s nutritious.” Justin Faye, an economics teacher who lives on West 100th Street, said he believes Chipotle would be popular even without college students in the area.

Many Columbia students and neighborhood residents, conversely, see Pinkberry’s popularity as a result of its ambience and word of mouth. Yanna Mikhailova, BC ’09, said that curiosity brought her to Pinkberry for the first time. Several students from the Los Angeles area said that they told their friends about Pinkberry, and one student even said that he decided to go after his Literature Humanities teacher recommended it.

Pinkberry’s decor has also proven a major selling point. Sunny Shin, a teacher living in Harlem, said the store’s lighting and design made it look clean and well-lit. “It’s new, it’s hip, and it’s trendy,” Eric Wander, Journalism ’06, said.

The store manager of Pinkberry, who goes by JC, noted that he has seen equally long lines at Pinkberry stores on both the West and East Coasts. He attributed these lines to curiosity. “The people in the neighborhood see a new business and they want to know what’s opening in their neighborhood.” At the same time, he listed a healthy product, hip decor, and friendly staff as factors contributing to Pinkberry’s popularity. He expressed hope that over time, Pinkberry would become an integral part of Morningside Heights, saying, “We’re glad to be in the neighborhood!”

Jordan Fraade can be reached at news@columbiaspectator.com.