The Burrito Grill offers fresh flavours and a warm welcome

Chantel Hack on building a restaurant that feels like home in Kimberley

From their family to yours, the Burrito Grill is Kimberley’s go-to spot for fresh, made-with-love meals. — Photos courtesy of the Burrito Grill

In a town known for reinvention, Chantel Hack saw an exciting opportunity. Kimberley impressed her as a vibrant, year-round destination, and opening the Burrito Grill in 2010 has more than validated that choice. Bringing with her the idea of fresh, build-your-own burritos long before fast-casual Mexican became mainstream, she and her family built something that felt both new and instantly familiar.

More than a decade later, the Burrito Grill has become a local staple, shaped as much by its community as by its menu. From navigating the ups and downs of shoulder seasons to expanding into catering, retail, and family-friendly dining, Hack has stayed grounded in a simple philosophy: serve quality food, support your community, and create a space where everyone feels welcome.  

We caught up with Hack to hear more about the story, the challenges, and the passion behind the Burrito Grill.

What inspired you to open the Burrito Grill in Kimberley, and why was this community the right fit?

We were inspired to open the Burrito Grill because when we came to visit Kimberley, we fell in love with the culture and beauty of the Kootenays. We saw a need for a little burrito restaurant like the ones that we had started to see popping up and becoming popular in the Toronto area. We thought, wow, this is a great concept, and wouldn't this really fit in so well with this cool mountain culture! This was before Chipotles and other fast-casual Mexican restaurants that you see all over the place now. There weren't many, if any, Mexican restaurants in this area that offered fast-casual, build-your-own burritos, bowls, and tacos.

The mine had been closed for about eight years in 2009, and the city was still finding its footing. It was a tourist place, but not necessarily a "destination" at that point. The ski hill, the golf courses, close proximity to the airport, the majestic mountains, what else could you want?!

We knew that Kimberley was a little gem just waiting to dust off a bit of the ol' coal dust and become a true resort town and vacation destination.

How would you describe Burrito Grill’s identity or philosophy in a few words?

We are a family-owned restaurant that serves fresh Mexican-inspired food made with fresh, quality ingredients. We are locally owned and want to see our community thrive.

We know what we want to serve our families and loved ones, and we want to share our passion for quality food with our guests.  

What sets the Burrito Grill apart from other quick-service or casual dining options in the region?

We offer fresh food that is truly made with care. Our ingredients are fresh, not from a bag, and you can taste the difference that quality makes.

We are Mexican-inspired and really focus on fresh ingredients. We make our sauces and salsas authentically while also making Mexican food accessible to everyone. We wanted to create a menu that feels like comfort food and is familiar, tastes good, is warm and comforting.

How has operating in a mountain town like Kimberley shaped your menu, pricing, or customer experience?

Mountain towns typically have a smaller population, and there are slower times when we do not have many tourists; the "shoulder season”. These periods can be hard on a business's cash flow and your team's morale because you go from super busy to a very slow pace, and you start to think, “Did everyone forget about us?” And even after 16 years, it can still come as a shock. You really have to switch gears.

We have made changes to the business and diversified our offerings to keep our staff working year-round and staying busy, even in the slower times. This has been integral to our success, and we do this through catering, providing local retailers with ready-made meals, providing hot lunch programs for schools, and even starting kids' cooking classes.

We have tailored our menu so that we are affordable, and a family can still enjoy a meal out. Affordable without sacrificing quality.

We want our customers to feel comfortable enough to actually take their kids out for a meal and not worry about what the table next to them will think. Everyone is welcome. You can sit down with the kids, have a business lunch or even sit down by yourself and feel like you're in a safe, fun, festive space. Date night, whatever.

We even have a games shelf, so you can play games at the table while you wait for your food. We want to provide a relaxed, laid-back atmosphere, where everyone is welcome and feels comfortable.

Which menu items best represent your brand, and why do customers keep coming back for them?

We love our signature burritos. My favourite is the Ski Bum with sauteed chicken and corn salsa, pickled jalapenos, black beans, Mexican rice, lettuce, mozzarella cheese and ranch sauce. And the part I am very proud to say is that we make every one of those ingredients in-house, using fresh, high-quality ingredients. For instance, our mozzarella cheese is a full-fat, quality brand, real cheese product that has no filler or added ingredients, and you can taste the difference

We want to provide a good product, and purchasing well-made, real ingredients  is important to us, even when it can hurt the bottom line. We stay true to our values and ensure we put out quality food that makes our customers want to spread the word and bring their loved ones in to eat at our restaurant.  

Also, we can not forget our top seller, the chicken lime soup, made in-house. Winter favourite. Delicious, mild chicken soup, especially if you're feeling under the weather.

What were some of the biggest challenges you faced in your first year, and how did you overcome them?

Well, I opened the restaurant with my mom in 2010, and I was 21 years old. So that was a challenge in itself! But I was young and really had very little idea of how businesses actually ran. So I had to put my head down and learn quickly. My mom had a background in food service, and we went to Mexico to learn how to cook Mexican food. However, we built the restaurant from the ground up, made many mistakes along the way, but kept at it and persevered.

I think the biggest piece of advice I learned in those early years is that you are going to make mistakes; it is how you rebound from them. Try not to get discouraged and just get back at it the next day. Don't be afraid to change things. If something's not working, pivot.

The hours are long, the grind is real. The restaurant business is not for the faint of heart. You are truly putting yourself out there, and not everyone will love what you're doing. You have to have thick skin and be tenacious.

How has the local community supported the Burrito Grill since opening?

I have seen a shift over the last couple of years towards supporting local. There are more advertising campaigns and information on how important it is to spend your dollars locally to create a thriving, sustainable community. Customers really care "who" they are buying from, not just what.  

The community has supported us and really been our biggest cheerleaders. We have always felt strong community support for our local family business, and we want to give back.

Have customer preferences or dining habits changed over the past few years, and how have you adapted?

People want convenience without sacrificing flavour and quality. We know that people are busier than ever and don't always have the time to cook healthy, nutritious meals. So we have tried to accommodate by offering delivery, takeout, catering and by providing ready-made meals to local retailers.

Over the years, we have served more people with  dietary preferences and restrictions. Which is actually quite easy for us to accommodate, because we make almost all our ingredients in-house, so the ingredients are transparent, and Mexican food can easily be tailored for vegetarians, vegans, or gluten-free eaters.

What role does your team play in the success of the business, and how do you build a strong workplace culture?

Our workplace culture is everything, and happy staff will equal happy customers.

We are a family business, and we treat our staff like family. Treating your staff the way you want to be treated and respecting every team member for who they  are, is very important.

As owners, we can't be there every day, all day. So we want staff who are brand ambassadors, who fully understand the company's values and represent the Burrito Grill in its best light.

What advice would you give to someone considering opening a restaurant in a small or resort-based community?

I would say that you need to be authentic and truly interested in seeing your community do better as a whole. It's not a me thing, it's a we. The locals will get to know your business fairly quickly, for good or bad, and news travels fast in small communities. Locals will always be your biggest advocates and will support the businesses that they feel have strong values and are reinvesting in the community.

Your community will also become your brand ambassadors and the people who direct tourists to the best places to eat. The Burrito Grill is off the beaten path, and we rely on local shops and hotels to advocate for us. For example, the hotel front desk attendant will make suggestions on where their guests should eat.

Treat your local community well, serve a quality product with a smile, and the rest will come.

Are there any upcoming changes, additions, or ideas you’re excited about for the future of the Burrito Grill?

We are excited about some new ventures over the last couple of years:

We are a busy family ourselves and saw the need for accessible, easy, healthy, and locally made food. So we thought a good way to expand was to sell to retail and be available where people are already shopping and running errands. So we have expanded into a grab-and-go and pre-made meals available at local grocery stores and gas stations. People are busy, and if someone can grab one of our burritos while they are out and about town, this makes us happy!

We are also focusing more on catering services because there is a need, and we truly enjoy getting out and about in our community.

Some exciting ideas for the not-too-far future are renovations to the dining room and our back patio to facilitate more comfortable seating and extend the patio season into cooler temperatures. We want to have live music more consistently throughout the year because it creates a great vibe in the restaurant, builds a strong, connected community, and is fun for the staff, too.

The Burrito Grill was my first baby, and I want to continue seeing it grow and evolve. It has been over 17 years and sometimes you can fall out of love with your business or need a break (maybe that's a maternity break... or three), but the last couple of years there has been a renewed sense of energy and passion for the business, and we are excited to keep growing. I think that's why winning our first-ever Kimberley Chamber of Commerce Award and being named the Restaurant of the Year 2025 was so important to us. It felt like our efforts were being noticed by our community, and that's a really good feeling.