# Do open food-preparation Burrito restuarants bother you? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 5, 2011, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-open-food-preparation-burrito-restuarants-bother-you/591617 "2011-08-05T17:49:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ecoaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/85e7bf/32.png) [@ecoaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ecoaster)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-open-food-preparation-burrito-restuarants-bother-you/591617/1 "2011-08-05T17:49:29Z")
I am referring specifically to burrito-type places that prepare your food to order in an open space where you pick the ingredients, not nice restaurants with semi-open kitchens. I just always feel unsettled watching people make my food. It has nothing to do with food anxieties or hygiene- its something about the watching itself (or maybe its the assembly-line feeling?). I also don’t like watching other people watching their food get made. It just feels…weird. Like I feel as if everyone is secretly judging his/her order and analyzing if the employee is making the food correctly. Of course people start tweaking things down the line (more cheese, less lettuce, what’s that, blah blah blah). I miss the days where you just ordered something and then pick it up without making 15 decisions about size, additions, sauces, etc. Too much customization and choices. Less is more. Make it how you like (but no sour cream!). Yes, I can go elsewhere, but I like burritos… Discuss. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-open-food-preparation-burrito-restuarants-bother-you/591617/2 "2011-08-05T17:55:09Z")
No. I eat at Chipotle quite a bit. And I like being able to get what I want without having to exclude. Including tends to get it right more often. ---
**Author:** ![Frazzled](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frazzled/32/3368_2.png) [@Frazzled](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frazzled)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-open-food-preparation-burrito-restuarants-bother-you/591617/3 "2011-08-05T17:55:56Z")
I’m a big fan of this style of Burritos - we have 2 in my area: Chipotle and FreeBirds. I have no anxiety at all about watching them make food, nor do I have any anxiety about watching them make others. That said, I understand the feeling you are talking about, it’s how I feel when I carry something I’m reading in public - I don’t like people seeing what I’m reading or watching. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-open-food-preparation-burrito-restuarants-bother-you/591617/4 "2011-08-05T18:02:50Z")
Moving thread from IMHO to Cafe Society. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-open-food-preparation-burrito-restuarants-bother-you/591617/5 "2011-08-05T18:04:06Z")
No. It’s no different than eating at Subway or a deli. The only thing that bothers me is the calories. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-open-food-preparation-burrito-restuarants-bother-you/591617/6 "2011-08-05T18:06:27Z")
Nope. Just you. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-open-food-preparation-burrito-restuarants-bother-you/591617/7 "2011-08-05T18:08:21Z")
I don’t like or dislike the watching, but I like that they are being watched. Less chance that they will skimp on the hygiene or cleanliness. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-open-food-preparation-burrito-restuarants-bother-you/591617/8 "2011-08-05T18:11:06Z")
I like being able to be picky without feeling like I am slowing things down. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-open-food-preparation-burrito-restuarants-bother-you/591617/9 "2011-08-05T18:14:10Z")
It doesn’t seem that different than a deli that makes your sandwich to order. ---
**Author:** ![Brynda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Brynda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brynda)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-open-food-preparation-burrito-restuarants-bother-you/591617/10 "2011-08-05T18:14:16Z")
Wow, I am your opposite–I love the burrito customization. Throw some extra olives on there! ---
**Author:** ![Tanbarkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a698b9/32.png) [@Tanbarkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tanbarkie)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-open-food-preparation-burrito-restuarants-bother-you/591617/11 "2011-08-05T18:16:32Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > I don’t like or dislike the watching, but I like that they are being watched. Less chance that they will skimp on the hygiene or cleanliness. Yeah, this. Especially since these are inevitably fast-food type places, where cleanliness can be questionable. I like my local Chipotle because they have the actual kitchen right in view, so I can see the ingredients being prepared, and then watch my burrito get made at the prep bar as I go. I don’t have to worry that some prep cook failed to wash his hands, or wiped his nose while putting together a burger, or had a bad day and decided to take it out on the customer. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-open-food-preparation-burrito-restuarants-bother-you/591617/12 "2011-08-05T18:18:16Z")
No. No problems with it. What does annoy me though is people who feel the need to tell the employee “a little more” with every ingredient they put on the thing. Christ, like a Chipotle burrito doesn’t have enough calories as-is you greedy pig. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-open-food-preparation-burrito-restuarants-bother-you/591617/13 "2011-08-05T18:40:03Z")
Not since I got that restraining order. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-open-food-preparation-burrito-restuarants-bother-you/591617/14 "2011-08-05T19:26:58Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > I don’t like or dislike the watching, but I like that they are being watched. Less chance that they will skimp on the hygiene or cleanliness. I’ve only seen this sort of thing at the various delis, but I like it. First, I like that the hygiene is under scrutiny, and second, I can tell them “no onions” when they automatically reach for the onions. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-open-food-preparation-burrito-restuarants-bother-you/591617/15 "2011-08-05T20:07:26Z")
I love it. I find that I’ve become much more willing to state preferences even in regular sit-down restaurants since I’ve started frequenting the open preparation places. I don’t always remember to say no onions or no peppers, and sometimes I don’t even know that these things will be included in my order. I also like the opportunity to request a different sauce on my sandwich or a different dressing on my salad. In the past, that wouldn’t have occurred to me, but when you see it being made in front of you, it’s easier to make those choices. I’m a big fan of the Signature Deli at Safeway, and I love watching everyone get their sandwiches made and seeing if someone has made an interesting choice that I might like. My burrito order is a flour tortilla, cheese, rice, refried pinto beans (not black beans), _mild_ chicken, guacaomole, sour cream and _no salsa_. It’s a lot easier to get that in a place where I can see what the preparer is doing. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-open-food-preparation-burrito-restuarants-bother-you/591617/16 "2011-08-05T20:19:03Z")
Not only did it never occur to me that some folks might object to this, if anything I would have thought people might object to food preparation being out of sight. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-open-food-preparation-burrito-restuarants-bother-you/591617/17 "2011-08-05T20:27:21Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > I don’t like or dislike the watching, but I like that they are being watched. Less chance that they will skimp on the hygiene or cleanliness. > [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > I’ve only seen this sort of thing at the various delis, but I like it. First, I like that the hygiene is under scrutiny, and second, I can tell them “no onions” when they automatically reach for the onions. This. I can stop a screwed up order in it’s tracks. ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-open-food-preparation-burrito-restuarants-bother-you/591617/18 "2011-08-05T20:27:42Z")
The ‘open’ burrito type places (Cal Tort for the win!) are no more disturbing than ordering something in a deli. I like to see my ingredients - they’re not likely to let something that’s starting to go ‘off’ remain on the line where the customer can see it. Plus, I can see the grooming and general hygene of the preparers, and how they handle the food (gloves, hand washing, hair nets, etc.). Quality control by customer eyeball. Works quite well for me.