As anyone who has tried the Chipotle on Marshall Street might attest, it leaves much to be desired in both the quantity and quality departments. Countless tragic times have I ordered a burrito online only to find that my chips were forgotten or that I was just going to suck it up and eat my burrito with sour cream even though I didn't order it. I'm sure I'm not alone.
I have been pleasantly surprised, however, to find that the three orders that I made at Chipotle's Erie Boulevard counterpart met—no, exceeded—my expectations. Indeed, this is even reflected in the Google reviews for both locations: Erie's Chipotle spot boasts a 4.2 star rating compared to Marshall's 3.6. So it got me wondering: was this the case with the other chains that the two places share?
Source: syracuse.com
Chipotle
As mentioned before, Erie wins this in a landslide. On all three occasions that I went there, the portion sizes were significantly larger than anything that I'd ever gotten from Marshall Street and I've never had to worry about the servers missing any part of my order.
It's worth mentioning that my order was delayed one time at Erie, but the generally shorter wait times compared to Marshall Street because of the relative lack of traffic more than make up for this.
Winner: Erie Boulevard
My order: a x2 chicken burrito with brown rice, pinto beans, lettuce, cheese, and red salsa
Source: syracuse.com
Dunkin' Donuts
As one might expect, coffee chains are at the top of the industry when it comes to quality control. I'm afraid that no donuts or other food options were tested for the purposes of this review; I am a college student, after all. However, I'm pleased to report that you can ditch the drive, at least for drinks—the coffee that I got from Erie Boulevard and Marshall Street's Dunkin' Donuts were essentially indistinguishable. That being said, as a student, I personally go to Schine for my coffee.
Winner: neither, really—Marshall Street wins by default based on convenience
My order: a latte with whole milk and a sugar
Source: syracuse.com
Popeye's
I have to preface my review with a confession: I'm not a fan of Popeye's. However, after trying the newly renovated Popeye's on Marshall Street, there may be hope for me yet. I was impressed by the serving size and requests for extra sauce are accepted with open arms. I have yet to have a negative experience.
The same cannot be said about the drive-thru on Erie Boulevard, however, where my order is frequently confused and I got a cherry-flavored Pepsi once instead of Diet. That being said, I'll be continuing to go to the Popeye's on Marshall Street.
Winner: Erie Boulevard
My order: chicken tenders, fries, and a Diet Pepsi
It goes without saying that any argument regarding a location on Erie Boulevard is immediately disqualified if the eater in question does not have easy access to a car. You cannot put a price on the convenience of Marshall Street, and with the exception of Chipotle, you can expect a similar level of quality from the locations reviewed in this blogpost.
It's all love, though, Chipotle. I know those chips were just you looking out for my diet.
Thank you for reading!
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