PARK SLOPE — Chipotle is opening its first Park Slope location.
The national Mexican food chain that sells burritos and tacos made "with integrity" has leased a storefront at 185 Seventh Ave., near Second Street, building owner Reyad Farraj confirmed Tuesday.
Farraj said he chose to rent the space to Chipotle because he believes in the company's public commitment to healthy food. Chipotle is known for using locally-sourced, organic ingredients when possible, not using meats with antibiotics, and working with small farmers.
Farraj said his own kids eat Chipotle and he knew the new restaurant would probably get heavy traffic from P.S. 321, which is directly across the street.
"I'm a father of five," Farraj said. "If I was going to put in a national food establishment, I wanted it to be an establishment that I felt was high-quality, good food. I believe in their principles. I knew that if Chipotle was going to be there, they were going to draw on the neighborhood kids, and I feel good about kids eating Chipotle."
Farraj grew up in Park Slope and attended M.S. 51, as did some of his children. His family ran the Met Food supermarket at 185 Seventh Ave. for about 25 years starting in the early 1970s, then handed over the store to another family. The grocery store closed in 2014.
Chipotle has signed a lease for the 185 Seventh Ave. space, but the 2,500-square-foot storefront requires extensive renovation, and the restaurant probably won't open until the summer or fall, Farraj said.
A press representative for Chipotle declined to comment.
The Farrajs bought the building in the early 1980s. With Chipotle moving in, and the renovation of a long-neglected residential building on the corner of Seventh Avenue and Second Street underway, Farraj said he's hopeful for the future of that stretch of Seventh Avenue.
Blue Bottle coffee is also set to move in nearby, at Seventh Avenue and Third Street.
“That corner has been a little slow,” Farraj said. “With the new development and Chipotle, it will bring a little more vibrance to the corner.”
