Grass Valley, CA — The nation’s first restaurant dedicated to the burgeoning “impulse munchie” market is opening in the Sierra Nevada Foothills town of Grass Valley, CA. The new chain called Stoners, which is a new subsidiary of Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc., hopes to serve what the company believes is an under-served and growing market currently dominated by the fast food chain Taco Bell.
“We are absolutely thrilled to have Grass Valley as our pilot restaurant,” said Stoner regional manager Seth Bedderford in a The Fazzler telephone interview. “We had a list of over 14 different locations around the country. Everyone thought Boulder [Colorado] was a shoe-in, but I pushed hard for Grass Valley, because well, it’s Grass Valley.”
The new restaurant, which will occupy the space of the old Perkos building on Sutton Way, will feature all kinds of menu items designed to appeal to what the industry calls, “the long decider.”
“Long deciders are exactly what it sounds like,” continued Mr. Bedderford, “they take a long time to decide on what they want. So our innovative menu system will feature large representations of our offerings with a simple numbering system for our customers to choose from. All they have to say is ‘I’ll have that number 2,’ and they’ll get our loaded version of the classic American dish Nachos.”
Along with Nachos, the Stoner menu will feature other impulse-easy items, but will have a focus on freshness and “organicness.” According to Mr. Bedderford, these are the strict marching orders from the Chipotle leadership: just because you’re high, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have quality. Although the restaurant boasts over 27 different menu items, many of the dishes are in development “hush mode” at the moment. However The Fazzler was able to obtain a sneak preview of some of the menu items.
#2: Ben Hudson’s Rad Nachos
#12: The LBJ PBJ Pancake Tacos with whole Orange on a paper plate
#14: Radical Bacon, Mozzarella Sticks and French Fry Pizza
#17. Ranch Dressing and a Bowl of Croutons
Stoners is slated to open in May. There will be a ribbon cutting ceremony on April 26th, weather permitting.
