Illegal Pete's

Illegal Pete’s

            I would say most students at DU have been to Illegal Pete’s at one time or another. This is probably because of its affordable pricing and location within two blocks of campus. Illegal Pete’s is unique in that you get your food very fast and it is good quality. If you order a burrito from Illegal Pete’s you actually probably get it faster than if you were to get one from Taco Bell. This seems strange, but it is because they are constantly making the ingredients and have them all visible through a glass bar from which you can select what you want and watch the workers put it in your burrito or burrito bowl. I personally like this set up a lot because you can see exactly what is going into my food.

            I went to Illegal Pete’s on a Monday around noon after I just got out of my statistics class. One of the good things about Illegal Pete’s is that burritos are huge! However, I wasn’t starving so I ordered a kids burrito, which was the perfect size. While sitting at Illegal Pete’s I noticed the casual environment created by popular reggae music, the four TV’s playing ESPN, posters of local events on the windows, and Coors and Bud Light signs on the walls. There are a combination of tables and booths, which seat from two to four people and are made out of wood. The menu is posted above the kitchen, but if you have been to Illegal Pete’s more than a few times there isn’t any need to use it because you can see all of the food in front of you. While I observed most people eating burritos or burrito bowls you can also order quesadillas, taquitos, and tacos.

There were a variety of ages eating in the restaurant at this time, mainly being DU students, but also there were quite a few older people enjoying the food. Maybe they were professors, or just people living in the surrounding neighborhoods that share a liking for Illegal Pete’s. Most people were with a friend or two, eating their food leisurely while talking. There were about 20 people sitting down, but the place was not particularly busy. Because of its set up Illegal Pete’s is able to handle many customers at a time and it seems as though it does a great business. I would say people go to Illegal Pete’s for dinner more than lunch. People go in larger groups and catch up on the days events with friends while enjoying the best food they’ve had all day.

One of the interesting things about the location of this Illegal Pete’s is that it is just one block away from Chipotle. Both of these restaurants are open kitchen Mexican food bar style restaurants that have almost the exact same menu. When I first came to school and ate at these two places I was very surprised that they both were able to do a good business being in such close proximity and having so many similarities. After analyzing my experience at the two restaurants I have realized that the main difference between the two lies in the atmosphere. While this particular Chipotle is the first one eve–I am very proud to say this fact–it is small and only has 3 tables as well as spots to sit at the counter. It is not a spot that you would want to go with friends to chat and catch up because it is such a small space, usually with a line running through the restaurant. Most people who go to Chipotle just get their food to go. I would assume they are from other places and have been eating at Chipotle for a while and this is why the have not switched over to Illegal Pete’s.

The Illegal Pete’s space is much larger and has booths, which can make the eating environment more intimate. The main difference between the two is the bar along the back of Illegal Pete’s. I was there during the day so there was no one drinking, but at night the bar can get quite busy. People hang around drinking and watching sports on the TV’s and this completely changes the atmosphere of the restaurant. According to the Journal of Food Service, “atmospheric restaurants can be described as places where guests feel comfortable and at ease”(89). This is how I feel when I’m at Illegal Pete’s. I am content to just hang out and eat my food slowly and enjoy it. People want to go to a restaurant where they feel this way. Illegal Pete’s is only in Colorado, specifically Denver and Boulder, so it has a sort of local laid back feel to it. These aspects of Illegal Pete’s are what make it such a successful restaurant even being right next to the better known restaurant, Chipotle.

Work Cited

Gustafsson, Inga-Britt, Asa Öström, Jesper Johansson, and Lena Mossberg. "The Five Aspects Meal    Model: A Tool for Developing Meal Services in Restaurants." Journal of Foodservice. Wiley Online Library, Apr. 2006. Web. 18 Apr. 2012. <http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.17454506.2006.00023.x/full?globalMessage=0>.