Chipotle, Ells Explore Asian Restaurant Concept

By: Chipotle Mexican Grill | 2 Shares 184 Reads

Ells: "What Makes Chipotle Special is Our Focus on Great Food and Our Special People Culture. Now We're Going to See How Different Cuisines Fit into This Model."

DENVER, Nov 03, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- A small team from Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) led by founder, chairman and co-CEO Steve Ells is working on an Asian restaurant concept that follows the Chipotle model. The company plans to open one Asian inspired restaurant in 2011.

"Since opening the first Chipotle some 17 years ago, I have often thought about how other types of food might fit the Chipotle model," said Ells. "But my focus has always remained on perfecting and growing the Chipotle brand. Chipotle is not successful because we serve burritos and tacos. Our success comes from finding the very best sustainably raised ingredients, prepared and cooked using classical methods in front of the customer, and served in an interactive format by special people dedicated to providing a great dining experience. And while our Chipotle restaurants will of course remain our primary focus, we are also excited to see how this format works with other cuisines."

"We are an industry leader because we have a special team of top performers, and a culture that empowers these top performers to become the future leaders of the company," said Monty Moran, Chipotle's co-CEO. "Our deep bench of leaders emerging from top performing crew members and restaurant managers allows us to continue to open Chipotle restaurants with superior customer service and operational excellence. This is the foundation to serving great food that is accessible, and doing it in a way that produces excellent financial results."

"We are very proud of Chipotle's growth and performance, and we know that there is so much room for us to improve our operations, our ingredients, and our people culture. In our minds, we are still very early in our growth cycle," said Ells. "This Asian restaurant is just an opportunity to see how our model works when we use different ingredients and a different style of food. This restaurant will allow us to take a look at that."

About Chipotle

Steve Ells, founder, chairman and co-CEO, started Chipotle with the idea that food served fast did not have to be a typical fast food experience. Today, Chipotle continues to offer a focused menu of burritos, tacos, burrito bowls (a burrito without the tortilla) and salads made from fresh, high-quality raw ingredients, prepared using classic cooking methods and served in a distinctive atmosphere. Through our vision of Food with Integrity, Chipotle is seeking better food not only from using fresh ingredients, but ingredients that are sustainably grown and naturally raised with respect for the animals, the land, and the farmers who produce the food. Chipotle opened its first restaurant in 1993 and currently operates more than 1,000 restaurants. For more information, visit Chipotle.com.

SOURCE: Chipotle Mexican Grill

###