[EXCLUSIVE] New Chipotle Planned For Site of Former Hardee's and Moe's

A onetime Hardee's in Lawrenceville was recently demolished to make way for a new Chipotle.  The freestanding building, located on a roughly one acre outparcel of Pleasant Hill Point (corner of Club Drive and Pleasant Hill Road) was originally constructed in 1988 as a Hardee's restaurant after which it became a Moe's Southwest Grill in the early 2000s, and more recently operated as an outpost of locally owned Don Pedro Mexican Restaurant.  

The roughly 3,400 square foot building was demolished in October to make way for the new Chipotle Mexican Grill with "Chipotlane."  

Chipotle already operates a successful location at 2040 Pleasant Hill Road and while the new outpost at 1475 Pleasant Hill Road is just over a mile away, it's on the other side of I-85 and is literally in a different city.  Whereas the existing location is located in Duluth, the new outpost will be in Lawrenceville.  

Quick-serve Mexican rival Moe's subsequently reopened in an outparcel of the Goodwill-anchored Market Place shopping center, catty corner from where Chipotle plans to open.  Don Pedro Mexican Restaurant is still open on Buford Highway in Norcross and Lawrenceville Highway in Lilburn.

For its part, Chipotle has been incredibly active in metro Atlanta as it looks to expand with locations featuring its "Chipotlane" order ahead pick-up window.  ToNeTo Atlanta exclusively reported in 2019 that new Chipotlanes were coming to former Boston Market and Pollo Tropical locations in East Cobb and Austell, respectively.  ToNeTo Atlanta has in recent months reported that the Newport Beach, California-based company has several more Chipotlane-equipped locations in the works including one that recently opened in a converted former Wells Fargo bank on Windy Hill Road just off I-75.  

Another new Chipotlane location is slated to open November 16 in a former dry cleaners on Mount Vernon Road in Dunwoody Village and on December 6 on the site of an old IHOP on South Cobb Drive in Smyrna.  ToNeTo Atlanta reported this past July that Chipotle is also looking to convert a former Arby's in Alpharetta to a new restaurant, too.   

According to the Chipotle website, the company currently has 90 locations in Georgia, nine more than the number in the brand's founding state of Colorado, but a far cry from the nearly 460 restaurants in California.  Overall, Chipotle operates more than 3,000 restaurants across the country except for Alaska and Hawaii where the company is noticeably absent.  

Are you pleased to see Chipotle expanding in metro Atlanta?  Who do you think does the best job at delivering on all fronts in the quick-serve Mexican market?  What chain restaurant would you most like to see open in metro Atlanta?

Please share your thoughts below.