Chipotle Mexican Grill submitted an application to the city for construction permits to build a a 2,100-square-foot restaurant at La Palmera Mall. The eatery will be part of a strip building at the corner of Staples Street and Golihar Road that is being revamped. Six other tenants are expected to join Chipolte at the 4938 Staples Street address next to Dick's Sporting Goods.

[image id="9376" title="chipotle mexican grill" class="size-full wp-image-25204" width="132" height="123" ] Chipotle Mexican Grill plans to build a new restaurant at La Palmera Mall. Courtesy Photo

Chipotle is part of a publicly traded company based in Denver, Colorado. McDonald's was once a big investor in what is called a "fast-casual" restaurant. Fast-casual is a new term for a fast food restaurant that uses high-quality raw ingredients.

"Fresh is not enough, anymore," says the company website. "Now we want to know the sources for all of our ingredients, so that we can be sure they are as flavorful as possible, while we are mindful of the environmental and societal impact of our business." They call the strategy Food With Integrity.

"Food with integrity is our commitment to finding the very best ingredients raised with respect for the animals, the environment and the farmers," says the company.

The Corpus Christi location is one of about 900 Chipotle restaurants nationwide and will cost about $300,000 to build, according to the Corpus Christi Development Services Department. The space will seat 36 inside and 39 outside. The company operates about 1,600 restaurants including six ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen restaurants, and is an investor in an entity that owns and operates one Pizzeria Locale. For more information, visit Chipotle.com.