Chipotle Mexican Grill is poised to open at the intersection of Main Street and Smith Lane in Saco this winter, a company spokeswoman said. As well, sub shop Jersey Mike’s is also planning to open there “soon,” according to its website. Tammy Wells photo

SACO — Chipotle Mexican Grill is poised to open at the intersection of Main Street and Smith Lane, in an area once known as Saco’s hamburger alley, sometime this winter, a spokeswoman for the company said.

The site is the former location of Pizza Hut. That building, empty for well over a year, was torn down to make way for the new Chipotle location.

“We are planning to open a Chipotle in Saco this winter,” said company spokeswoman Sally Evans in an email. She provided no further specifics, but online searches suggest the “fast casual” spot that offers an array of burritos, salads, bowls, tacos, and quesadillas may have an early February opening.

The new restaurant will feature both dine-in and what Evans  called a “Chipotlane” digital drive-thru pickup lane.

She said the company is hiring for the Saco restaurant and other locations across the country.

“On average, there are 25 jobs per location,” said Evans, noting an array of benefits like crew bonuses, education assistance, paid time off,  and more. Details can be found at: chipotle.com/careers.

Chipotle was founded in 1993 in Denver, Colorado, by Steve Ells; it is headquartered in Newport Beach, California. It now sports more than 3,000 locations.

The Saco location is also poised to be the home of another restaurant chain – according to their website Jersey Mike’s, a submarine sandwich shop founded in Point Pleasant, New Jersey in 1956, is scheduled  to open there “soon.”

Alrig USA Development LLC was given the green light by the Saco City Council for a contract zone for the 507 Main St. property in July 2021. The location is in the highway business zone, which allows restaurants. A contract zone was sought because Alrig submitted its application to the Planning Board in January 2021 and learned at that time that the city’s zoning ordinance was in the process of an update.

There are a number of restaurants in the Saco, Biddeford, Old Orchard Beach area that serve Mexican and other Latin food; most are privately owned and operated.

Across the Saco River in Biddeford, Otto, the pizza chain that began in Maine in 2009 and has since expanded to several locations in Massachusetts, and to Exeter, New Hampshire, is planning to open at 404 Elm St. (Route 1)  and is advertising for workers.