Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge this week was the subject of a lengthy feature on ESPN.com. But the focus of the article wasn’t on Ainge’s future plan for the C’s or his reputation as a wheeler and dealer.
No, this particular piece, published Friday morning, examined something Ainge loves perhaps even more than basketball: Chipotle.
From ESPN.com’s Zach Lowe:
“There have been weeks,” (Celtics assistant general manager Mike) Zarren says, “where we have eaten lunch there seven straight days.” Ainge will sometimes follow up a Chipotle lunch five or six hours later with dinner at the same Chipotle. “I have to admit, there are days I eat there twice,” Ainge says. “I just like Chipotle.”
Ainge’s devotion hasn’t wavered amid breakouts of E.Coli and norovirus linked to Chipotle restaurants, including one Boston-area location. “The lines are shorter now,” Ainge says, chuckling. “Listen, I’m guessing a lot of chains like this have these kinds of issues. I haven’t changed my routine at all. Maybe if I get sick, I will.”
Ainge apparently is a regular at three Chipotle restaurants around the Boston area — all of which know his usual order by heart — and seeks out the nearest location each time he travels with the Celtics on the road. He’s also used the chain of burrito joints to host team functions, preferring it to other, more upscale options.
“When the Pelicans hired Darren Erman away from the Celtics to be their associated head coach,” Lowe wrote, “the team decided to throw Erman a celebratory farewell lunch, officials say. Erman got excited about the possibilities. Ainge announced they would go to Chipotle as usual.”
So, a message to all prospective NBA employees: If you come to work for the Celtics, you’d better be a fan of Mexican fast food.
Thumbnail photo via Mark L. Baer/USA TODAY Sports Images
