SOON.

Let's get this out of the way. Jim and I are addicted to spicy foods. More specifically, tasty foods with an alarming amount of heat built in for good measure. We put a variety of hot sauces and spices in our morning omelettes. We pan fry everything from tilapia to tenderloin with Smoked Chipotle Tobasco. And we'd put hot sauce on our cereal if we thought it would taste good. (It doesn't.)

So when we travel we always go out of our way to eat at our favorite eat-and-run establishment that guarantees the right amount of kick: Chipotle. If you haven't been blessed enough to enjoy them, Chipotle serves up enormous gourmet burritos and tacos. They are, in fact, the home of the one pound burrito. The chain and their associated marketing campaigns are irresistibly fun and inviting. They focus on building genuine enthusiasm around eating their fresh and (you guessed it) spicy burritos.

Now, a mere mile from our home, looms a storefront with the most provocative promise displayed over its door. It simply states "SOON." Soon. To strangers this means nothing. To those who know and love the brand, it means everything.

Chipotle's award-winning marketing has always been written for and by insiders. They work with TDA to build the edgy, often controversial, brand personality. What TDA 'gets' is that Chipotle loves its customers as much as those customers love Chipotle. The contests, the billboards, the 'Honest Ingredients' campaign - they are all unapologetically for the fan base. This irreverent approach to winning business is working very well for the brand.

Profits and publicity aside, we're anxiously awaiting our nearby location to open. In the meantime, we'll have a little fun watching this commercial that pays homage (or disrespect, depending upon your point of view) to the classic "lets all go to the lobby" spots played in movie theaters. Until those doors wing open, Jim and I will be focused on a single promising message: SOON.