On the corner of South Duff Avenue and Fifth Street, an abandoned building sits across the street from Texas Roadhouse just waiting for a business to move in.

This will be happening soon as Chipotle, a fast-food Mexican restaurant chain, begins to take charge of the building and starts remodeling. This will be the third Chipotle restaurant in Iowa, with the other two being located in West Des Moines and Iowa City.

Chipotle, founded in 1993, has been named on a list of the fastest-growing restaurant chains in 2009. Its current total is 1316 restaurants located in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada.

According to the restaurant’s official website, Chipotle declares “food served fast doesn’t have to be fast-food.” Chipotle is known for its kitchen design that is open to the entire restaurant so each customer can choose what ingredients they want in their food.

In keeping with the chain’s motto — “Food with Integrity” — all food used is grown locally within the United States.

“The tenant contract has been signed which means the inside of the building will start getting remodeled,” said Shana Perkins, Ames economic development commission employee. “We are unable to release the date of when they will open yet but that information will be available soon.”

The building that Chipotle is moving into was once the home of a Sprint cellphone store and a local bar. Those businesses were closed after the 2010 flood. The building has been fixed since then, and Chipotle will be moving in with its neighbor, AT&T, shortly.

ISU freshman Sam Conley was excited by the news of a Chipotle restaurant. 

“There were two with-in biking distance from my house in Minnesota,” he said. “I couldn’t be more excited [about] having one here in Ames.”