Chipotle opens new restaurant, adding another chain to Lynden’s Meridian Road
A national chain has added a new location in Lynden, officially opening last week and tipping the scales between locally-owned and chain restaurants.
Chipotle has opened its third location in Whatcom County, following its first location in Bellingham’s Bellis Fair mall and second near Western Washington University.
The new Lynden location officially opened Tuesday, Feb. 17 at the previous location of Jack in the Box, which closed on the same day last year.
“We wish Chipotle the best as they embark on their Lynden experience and bring their unique experience to our community,” Gary Vis, executive director of the Lynden Chamber of Commerce, told The Bellingham Herald on Feb. 18.
“Dairy Queen was the first national restaurant chain I can recall coming to Lynden back in the mid-‘80s, followed by McDonalds, Burger King and Subway in the ‘90s. Taco Time has been around for some time, and most recently Taco Bell has joined the group. National brands such as Dickie’s BBQ, Jack in the Box and a few others were also at one time located in Lynden, but unfortunately did not have the success necessary to maintain operations,” Vis said.
McDonald’s, Dairy Queen, Starbucks, Popeye’s Louisiana Chicken, Burger King, Subway and Taco Bell are all located within a mile of the new Chipotle.
“Based on nothing other than observation and a little knowledge gleaned from local restaurant owners, Lynden does appear to be over-served by the restaurant industry based upon the population of the service area, but I defer to those opening such establishments as they do their due diligence and make decisions as to their potential success to locate in the Lynden area,” Vis said.
The new location features a “Chipotlane,” a drive-through for picking up online orders. The new Chipotle is currently hiring, and the chain generally employs about 30 positions at each location.
The restaurant will be open 10:45 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily at 8083 Guide Meridian Rd. in Lynden.
This story was originally published February 21, 2026 at 2:03 PM.
