When Chipotle founder Steve Ells founded Chipotle Mexican Grill in 1993, he had a vision, not of serving fast food, but of serving good food fast.

Now, 16 years and dozens of locations later, Norman is finally able to be a part of this vision.

Norman’s first Chipotle will open its doors Friday at 11 a.m.

To help celebrate the opening, the restaurant is having a free tasting day today from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. for all OU students, faculty and staff with a valid OU ID.

While Chipotle is well-known for its enormous burritos and other Tex-Mex staples such as tacos and guacamole, the restaurant has recently been carving out a niche as a socially responsible and economical Mexican eatery.

In 2001, Chipotle released its Food With Integrity mission statement, a philosophy that holds the company to high standards in terms of where the food comes from and how it is prepared.

The restaurant only serves meat from naturally raised, vegetable-fed livestock and make a priority to serve locally grown vegetables.

“All of [the] meat is naturally raised and a third of our beans are organic,” Chipotle marketing consultant Jen Granillo said.

According to Granillo, all the food Chipotle restaurants use throughout the day is freshly prepared as it is needed, as opposed to being prepared days in advance.

As a result, she said the food is much fresher.

Granillo said she thinks Chipotle is an appealing choice for the budget-conscious college students not only because Chipotle can offer a large portion of food for a reasonable price, but because they can offer high-quality food at a reasonable price.

“I think college kids now are more particular with what they eat,” Granillo said. “If they have their $10 to vote on where they’re going to go to lunch, they want something that’s really awesome food. For $6, and maybe 50 cents with tax, you get a huge burrito. You get amazing quality food.”

Chipotle employee Sharon Kersey said she is excited about working for a company that puts so much emphasis on serving quality food.

“These people stand behind their food and they’re not afraid to show it,” Sharon said. “ They tell you what’s in it.”

The palpable enthusiasm for the Friday’s grand opening has made its way out the restaurant itself and into the OU student community.

With several other options for Mexican cuisine on Campus Corner, one might think excitement in the community wouldn’t be as high as it is.

However, this is not the case.

Alex Dalke, business senior, said he is very excited about Chipotle’s arrival in Norman.

“My freshman year, me and some friends used to drive all the way down to Dallas to get Chipotle. But now that they have Chipotle up here, I’ll save some gas,” Dalke said. “ I love that you can get a giant burrito for cheap.”

Chipotle is located at 765 Asp Ave. on Campus Corner.

The restaurant will officially open at 11 a.m. Friday but free burritos are available from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. for all OU students, faculty and staff.