Tired of the long, solitary walks down East 13th Avenue to get food that isn’t orange chicken from Panda Express? Fret not — the long-promised grand openings of Joe’s Burgers and Chipotle at the Erb Memorial Union are just a few days away.
Joe’s — a Portland-based burger chain — opens on Tuesday, Jan. 19 at 10 a.m. in the fishbowl. Chipotle will follow suit two days later on Jan. 21.
The chains were originally slated for opening in fall 2015, according to an update on EMU construction from last September. Though the University of Oregon’s contractors completed the space for the vendors on time, the restaurants had leasing and contractual issues with the university and city of Eugene.
“That pushed the deadline back,” according to Mark Butler, a senior project manager for Lease Crutcher Lewis.
Employees at Chipotle and Joe’s spent the last week training in preparation for the next week.
The openings mark a near-full restoration of food service to the EMU since last March, when its restaurants were removed for a major renovation and expansion project. Most of the construction around the building will be finished by June, including the addition of Falling Sky Brewery to the ground floor.
Follow Dahlia Bazzaz on Twitter: @dahliabazzaz. 
 

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Portland-based chain Joe’s Burgers will open on Jan. 19 in the EMU fishbowl. (Dahlia Bazzaz/Emerald)