Stephen Kenning, ’18, gazed with joyful anticipation as the Chipotle employee scooped the golden melted cheese into a small cup.  Stephen’s heart began to race when he sat down and eyed his feast.  That joyful anticipation abruptly turned into crushing disappointment as he experienced his first mouthful of the restaurant’s new, much hyped menu option.

Chipotle Mexican Grill debuted its new queso on Tuesday, September 12 and, after great fanfare, it has been the subject of much scrutiny and many mixed reviews.  Chipotle advertises “Ingredients this good were totally worth the wait,” but many people disagree.

Chipotle introduced their queso to rival that of other Latino restaurants such as Del Taco and Qdoba.  Those establishments experienced immense success almost immediately.  Chipotle’s queso, on the other hand, has not had as much debut success as the company had hoped.

Freshman Chase Henderson, who is not a fan of the queso, remarked, “Chipotle’s new queso tastes like trash.  Honestly, it has no flavor to it.  So much hype for this queso, and it was just a substantial letdown to all those beloved Chipotle fans.”

He is certainly not alone, since people such as Aamir Qadri, a junior, back him up in his distaste of the new Chipotle offering.  “The queso was terrible; it didn’t even taste like real queso.  The cheese felt rubbery and the veggies and such they added were a terrible choice.  All around horrendous.”

Another junior, Claire Constantino, also disliked the queso but not to the extent of Aamir.  She observed, “I didn’t dislike the queso, but it wasn’t over good.  I’m glad I tried it, but I wasn’t overwhelmed.”

At the opposite end of the spectrum, senior Phil Vincent remarked, “I love the new queso.  It has changed the way I eat my bowl, and there is no going back.”  Phil is adamant in his belief and ready to argue his point with anyone who disagrees.

The Chipotle queso is a love or hate food among students, with no in-between.  As the franchise continues its queso crusade, more and more people will develop an opinion on the cheesy topping, possibly resulting in a marketing success. But as it stands, Chipotle’s queso remains a remarkably controversial topic in the halls of Walsh Jesuit.