West campus Chipotle temporarily closed

The Chipotle Mexican Grill at 876 Commonwealth Ave. in Boston University’s West Campus is closed until further notice.

A “temporarily closed” sign was posted on Chipotle’s door early last week. The sign did not indicate why the restaurant was closed or an exact date it would reopen.

Erin Wolford, Chipotle’s senior director of external communications, attributed the temporary closure to “available labor,” in an email.

“We anticipate reopening in the near future,” Wolford wrote.

For Lydia Nam, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, the unexpected closure affects more than her ability to eat at the Mexican chain.

Nam said she serves as the fundraising chair for BU’s Timmy Global Health chapter. The club, which seeks to raise funds for the larger nonprofit to provide medical aid to communities around the globe, has a fundraiser scheduled at the West Campus Chipotle Feb. 6.

“The information of this Chipotle location being closed, like jumped on me,” Nam said. “I wasn’t expecting it at all.”

Nam said she submitted an application on Chipotle’s fundraising page, which was approved in early January. After calling the location and sending an email to the fundraising branch, she has received no indication of whether the restaurant will be open in time for the planned fundraiser.

“It’s not great because I had to think of something real quick on the spot,” Nam said.

Nam wasn’t aware of the issue until Timmy Global Health treasurer and College of Engineering junior Zach Silfen, along with the club’s president, contacted her about it.

“I’ve been trying to limit where I’ve been going for the last week since I’ve got here,” Silfen said, “but I didn’t even know that it was going to be closed.”

With less than a week left before their fundraiser is scheduled to take place, Nam said she is weighing her options for what the club should do if they do not hear back from Chipotle.

“If I had to contact another restaurant,” Nam said, “it would take quite a couple of weeks to get everything approved and ready.”

She said Timmy Global Health is considering hosting a gift card giveaway online instead.

ENG junior Sahil Mohanty said he would go to Chipotle about once a week during the school year, and compared to other fast-food restaurants on campus, the food is healthier.

Since the restaurant is temporarily closed, Mohanty said he will have to adjust his dining habits for the time being.

“It will have a big effect because I don’t think I’ll be eating as much out anymore,” he said.

Ben Reydler, a junior in the Questrom School of Business, said the inability to sit down and eat inside the Commonwealth Chipotle location has “been terrible.”

“Walking 20 minutes to Chipotle, picking the food up, walking 20 minutes back, my food gets cold,” Reydler said, “It’s not worth the walk anymore.”

Reydler, who mostly opts to order Chipotle on UberEats, said during his freshman year he would sometimes go to the restaurant for weeks at a time “without missing a day.”

Now, due to the restrictions, he said he orders from them about once every two weeks.

“I try to support the restaurants, I feel bad they’re all not doing too well,” Reydler said. “Chipotle is different, it’s not like a small business, so I don’t feel as bad not going to Chipotle even though it is one of my favorites.”