Chipotle Mexican Grill

History

Steve Ells attended the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. Afterward, he became a line cook for Jeremiah Tower at Stars in San Francisco. There, Ells observed the popularity of the taquerías and San Francisco burritos in the Mission District. In 1993, Ells took what he learned in San Francisco and opened the first Chipotle Mexican Grill in Denver, Colorado, in a former Dolly Madison Ice Cream store at 1644 East Evans Avenue, near the University of Denver campus, using an $85,000 loan from his father. Ells had originally planned to use funds from the first Chipotle to open a fine-dining restaurant, but instead focused on Chipotle Mexican Grill when the restaurants saw success.

In 1998, the first restaurant outside of Colorado opened in Kansas City, Missouri.

In 1998, McDonald's made an initial minority investment in the company. By 2001, McDonald's had grown to be Chipotle's largest investor. On January 26, 2006, Chipotle made its initial public offering (IPO) after increasing the share price twice due to high pre-IPO demand. At the time Chipotle had 500 stores. In its first day as a public company, the stock rose exactly 100%, resulting in the best U.S.-based IPO in six years, and the second-best IPO for a restaurant after Boston Market. The money from the offering was then used to fund new store growth.

In March 2005, Monty Moran was appointed president and chief operating officer of Chipotle while Ells remained chairman and CEO.

In October 2006, McDonald's fully divested from Chipotle. This was part of a larger initiative for McDonald's to divest all of its non-core business restaurants—Chipotle, Donatos Pizza, and Boston Market—so that it could focus on the main McDonald's chain. McDonald's had invested approximately $360* million into Chipotle, and took out $1.5 *billion. In 2008, Chipotle opened its first location outside of the United States in Toronto.

In January 2009, president and chief operating officer Monty Moran was promoted to co-CEO, a position that he would share with Ells, while Moran retained his president position.

In a list of fastest-growing restaurant chains in 2009, Chipotle was ranked eighth, based on increases in U.S. sales over the past year, and in 2010 Chipotle was ranked third. Consumer Reports ranked Chipotle as the best Mexican fast-food chain in 2011. The company serves approximately 750,000 customers per day.

In December 2010, Chipotle hired chef Nate Appleman to develop new cuisine. Appleman has won Rising Star Chef from the James Beard Foundation, was named "Best New Chef" by the Food & Wine magazine, and competed on The Next Iron Chef.

In 2010, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) audited Chipotle's Minneapolis restaurants, and found that some employees had been hired using fraudulent documents. In December, Chipotle fired 450 employees from its Minneapolis restaurants as a result of the audit, resulting in protests by local groups. In February 2011, ICE expanded the audit to include 60 restaurants in Virginia and Washington, D.C. which resulted in 40 workers being fired. In April 2011, the criminal division of the attorney general's office in Washington, D.C., joined the case, and ICE agents began interviewing employees at 20 to 25 restaurants in other locations, such as Los Angeles and Atlanta. In response to the government investigations, Chipotle hired former director of ICE Julie Myers Wood and high-profile attorneys Robert Luskin and Gregory B. Craig.

In April 2014, Chipotle announced an increase in menu prices for the first time in nearly three years, due to increasing costs for steak, avocados, and cheese. The price increase was expected to be rolled out from the end of second quarter of 2014 through the end of the third quarter. In late 2015, Chipotle expanded its mobile strategy through delivery partnerships with tech startups like Tapingo, a delivery service that targets college campuses.

In December 2016, Chipotle announced that co-CEO Monty Moran has stepped down from his role effective immediately with Ells becoming the sole CEO. Eleven months later, Ells announced in November 2017 that he would be stepping down as CEO.

In December 2017, Chipotle announced it signed a 15-year lease and in late 2018 will move around 450 corporate employees—currently housed in multiple buildings around downtown Denver—into the new 1144 Fifteenth Tower and occupy around 126,000 square feet or 5 floors of the 40-story tower.

In February 2018, Chipotle announced that Taco Bell CEO Brian Niccol would replace Ells as CEO starting on March 5 while Ells would retain his chairman position. Many industry analysts praised Niccol's appointment saying that Chipotle "needed new blood". Chipotle stock went up $30.27, or 12.04%, as a result of the announcement. However, other analysts criticized the announcement by saying that "the move goes against everything the burrito chain stands for".

In May 2018, Chipotle announced that it would relocate headquarters from Denver to Newport Beach, California, in Southern California. Corporate functions handled in their Denver and New York offices would move to Newport Beach or to an existing office in Columbus, Ohio. This move would impact 400 workers, some being offered relocation and retention packages.

In May 2018, Chipotle announced the "Chipotlane" and began testing it in the U.S.. The Chipotlane acts as a drive-thru, but it is for mobile order pickup only; customers are unable to order food at the handout window but are welcome to pick up their mobile orders through the Chipotlane or inside the restaurant. As of 2023, there are over 500+ locations which include the Chipotlane in order to make the restaurant run more efficiently.

In June 2018, the company announced the closing of 65 under-performing restaurants.

Ells broke all ties with the company in March 2020 by resigning as its chairman and departing from its board of directors.

In January 2023, the company announced plans to hire 15,000 workers and expand to 7,000 locations, up from a previous goal of 6,000. This would double its footprint. At the time of the announcement, it had more than 100,000 employees. An article in The Wall Street Journal in July noted the chain would focus on opening 700–800 new locations in small towns and cities as part of its plan to expand by nearly 3,800 locations, in territory traditionally dominated by chains like McDonald's and Applebee's.

In 2023 Chipotle saw $9.9 billion in revenue with 14.3% growth year on year and $3 million in average unit volumes (per restaurant revenue) and 7.9% growth in comparable sales; in 2023 37.4% of their revenue came via online orders, third-party delivery services or their new Chipotlanes.

In September 2024, Chipotle announced it was collaborating with Vebu, a company that develops automation and robotics equipment for the food industry, on a new automated avocado processing machine, Autocado. The companies claimed that this machine could peel and cut an avocado in less than 30 seconds and operate unattended on a large batch, which could significantly reduce the time and labor required to prepare large quantities of guacamole.

Chipotle's share price fell more than 9% after fiscal second quarter results showed same-store sales shrinking by 4%, compared to 0.4% in the prior quarter.

In August 2025, Chipotle announced plans of delivering food via drone aircraft within the greater Dallas area through a partnership with Zipline.

Expansion attempts into other types of cuisines

In the 2010s, Ells tried to diversify the company by creating or acquiring several subsidiaries. These subsidiaries offered very different cuisines compared to their parent company. Examples include soul food (Soul Daddy), Asian cuisine (ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen), pizza (Pizzeria Locale), and burgers (Tasty Made). In 2023, Chipotle had also tried incorporating California-inspired bowls into the Farmesa Fresh Eatery concept. The few test locations were not a financial success and all concepts were discontinued.

In 2011, Steve Ells was a judge for the TV show America's Next Great Restaurant and investor of ANGR Holdings, the company that will be running the winning concept's restaurants. Chipotle has agreed to purchase Ells' investment in ANGR at his cost, provide support for ANGR operations, and invest a total of $2.3 million in cash contributions. The winning concept, Soul Daddy, was quickly closed after operating for 8 weeks.

In September 2011, Chipotle opened an Asian fast-casual concept restaurant named ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen in Washington, D.C. The company has said the new restaurant "would follow the Chipotle service format and its focus on 'food with integrity' in ingredients". Chipotle's plan was to start with only one store, and see how the restaurant works out before expanding the concept.

On July 29, 2016, the company announced the opening of its first Tasty Made burger restaurant in the fall.

The newer restaurant concepts did not perform as well as expected, so ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen and Tasty Made were closed in March 2017 and February 2018 respectively, leaving only Pizzeria Locale operating besides the parent company.

In February 2023, Chipotle opened their first Farmesa Fresh Eatery in Santa Monica, California, serving bowls containing customers' choice of a protein, a green or grain, two sides, a topping, and a selection of up to five sauces. Some of the choices included steak, salmon, whipped potatoes, sweet potato chips, beets, and cauliflower.

In July 2023, Chipotle exited the highly competitive pizza restaurant industry by announcing that they were closing all of their remaining Pizzeria Locale locations and would "dissolve the business". Chipotle also abandoned Farmesa in April 2024.

Corporate affairs

Financial performance

The key trends for Chipotle are (as of the financial year ending December 31):

Ownership

Chipotle is mainly owned by institutional investors, who hold around 89% of all shares. The 10 largest shareholders in late 2024 were:

• The Vanguard Group (8.97%)
• BlackRock (8.14%)
• State Street Corporation (4.26%)
• T. Rowe Price (3.92%)
• JPMorgan Chase (3.31%)
• Capital World Investors (2.93%)
• Fidelity Investments (2.49%)
• AllianceBernstein (2.23%)
• Geode Capital Management (2.11%)
• Pershing Square Capital Management (1.83%)

Corporate management

Chipotle's team includes a residing corporate office of managers and its board of directors. Members of both teams are appointed to serve on committees: audit, compensation, and nominating and corporate governance.

By late 2016, the top management team consisted of the chief executive officer, Steve Ells; the chief financial officer, Jack R. Hartung; the chief marketing and development officer, Mark Crumpacker. At that time, the board of directors consists of: Ells, Patrick Flynn, Albert Baldocchi, Neil Flanzraich, Darlene Friedman, Stephen Gillet, Kimbal Musk and John Charlesworth. On March 14, 2018, it was reported that Mark Crumpacker, who had previously been charged in a 2016 cocaine ring indictment, would be leaving the company.

Ells served as chairman of the company, and served as chief executive officer until November 2017. He had a 1.25% stake in the company in 2010. The labor-market research firm Glassdoor reported that Ells earned $29* *million in 2014, versus a median of $19,000 for Chipotle's workers, making the CEO-to-worker pay ratio 1522:1.

On February 13, 2018, Chipotle announced that Taco Bell CEO Brian Niccol would replace Ells as CEO starting on March 5 while Ells would retain his chairman position.

On March 6, 2020, Ells resigned as chairman and left the board of directors, breaking his final ties to the company. At the same time, Niccol was appointed chairman and the size of the board was reduced from 10 to 7 directors.

On August 13, 2024, Starbucks announced it was hiring Niccol as its next CEO. Chief Operating Officer Scott Boatwright was appointed by the board as interim CEO effective August 31, 2024. At the same board meeting, company director Scott Maw was named chairman of the board and retiring CFO Jack Hartung was named president. Four months later, Boatwright was named permanent CEO by the board in November 2024.

Chipotle's key management as of January 2026 consists of:

• Scott Boatwright, Chief Executive Officer and Board member
• Adam Rymer, Chief Financial Officer
• Curt Garner, President, Chief Strategy and Technology Officer
• Ilene Eskenazi, Chief Legal and Human Resources Officer
• Jason Kidd, Chief Operating Officer
• Laurie Schalow, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer
• Kerry Bridges, Chief Food Safety Officer

Operation and distribution

All of Chipotle's restaurants are company-owned, rather than franchised. , 1430 restaurants have since opened throughout the United States and Canada, with locations in 43 states, Ontario, British Columbia, and the District of Columbia.

The field team are the employees who work closely with but not directly within specific restaurants. The field support system includes apprentice team leaders (step up from restaurateurs), team leaders or area managers, team directors and regional directors (not atypical for them to oversee more than fifty locations). Because Chipotle does not franchise, all restaurants are owned and operated directly by the corporation itself. Thus, whenever Chipotle is in the process of launching a new location, the field team hires a new general manager and trains them at a current location so that they will be ready for the new location when it opens for business. The corporate office takes care of finding and funding new locations as well.

In July 2023, the company announced it was testing a robot developed to cut the time to prepare avocados for guacamole in half amid an ongoing labor shortage. It was one of multiple chains incorporating automation into its operations at the time.

International

Chipotle had 17 locations outside of the United States by October 2014 with the majority in Canada, and the UK was in the process of opening more locations. The rate of overseas expansion was slower than expected. Many of the press reviewers thought that the food was overpriced for their area.

In July 2023, the company announced it would partner with the Kuwait-based Alshaya Group in its first-ever franchise deal to expand into the Middle East.

In April 2025, Chipotle announced it had signed a joint venture with Alsea to open restaurants in Mexico by early 2026, and possibly in other areas in which Alsea operates in Latin America.

In September 2025, Chipotle announced it signed a joint venture with SPC Group to open restaurants in Eastern Asia, with the first Chipotle restaurants opening in South Korea and Singapore in 2026. At the time of the announcement, Chipotle's existing international portfolio of restaurants included 60 locations in Canada, 20 in the United Kingdom, six in France, two in Germany, three in Kuwait and three in the UAE.

North America

Canada

In August 2008, Chipotle opened its first location outside of the United States in Toronto, Canada. A second Toronto store opened in 2010. The first Canadian location outside Toronto opened in Vancouver in December 2012. Chipotle has six locations in the Vancouver-area, including Vancouver, West Vancouver, North Vancouver, Burnaby, Port Coquitlam, Langley and Surrey. In 2023, Chipotle announced that seventh store would open up in the Vancouver region. The first location in the country's Capital opened in February 2017 at the Rideau Centre.

The first location in Alberta was opened in Calgary in October 2023. The first Chipotle restaurant in Edmonton opened in September 2024.

Across Canada, there are 26 stores in Ontario, 16 in British Columbia, and 2 in Alberta.

Europe

United Kingdom

Chipotle expanded to Europe with the first European restaurant opening in May 2010 in London. A second location opened in London in September 2011. The following year, three additional locations quickly opened in the London area. After this growth spurt, the rate of further expansion in London slowed greatly with the sixth location appearing in 2013 and the seventh in June 2015. Although Chipotle blames the slow growth in the United Kingdom on the British unfamiliarity with Mexican foods, several locally owned burrito chains had opened locations across the United Kingdom during the same interval. , there were 19 UK locations, of which 17 were in London.

France

The first location in France opened in Paris in May 2012. Expansion in France was much slower than that in the United Kingdom or Canada, with a second location in Paris opening in 2013 and a third location in 2014. At the time of its opening in 2014, the restaurant at La Défense was the largest Chipotle location in the world at 7000 sqft, while a typical Chipotle restaurant is usually between 2200 sqft and 2500 sqft. A fourth Parisian location was opened in Levallois-Perret in 2015 followed by a fifth Parisian location in Saint-Germain-des-Prés in 2016. The company opened its seventh location in France and its first location outside the Paris region, inside Lyon's La Part-Dieu shopping mall in 2021.

Germany

The first location in Germany opened up in Frankfurt's Skyline Plaza shopping mall in August 2013. A second location opened in Frankfurt's MyZeil shopping mall in April 2019.

Asia

Kuwait

Franchise partner Alshaya Group opened its first Chipotle restaurant in the city state of Kuwait inside The Avenues mall in April 2024.

United Arab Emirates

Franchise partner Alshaya Group opened its first Chipotle restaurant in the United Arab Emirates in Dubai at the Jumeirah Beach Residence in September 2024. Alshaya open its first location in Abu Dhabi at the Yas Mall, the third in the UAE, in August 2025.

Qatar

Franchise partner Alshaya Group opened its first Chipotle restaurant in Doha, the capital of the state of Qatar in September 2025 at the Villaggio Mall.

Menu

Chipotle's menu consists of five items: burritos, bowls, tacos, quesadillas, and salads. The price of each item is based on the choice of chicken, pork carnitas, barbacoa, steak, tofu-based "sofritas", or vegetarian (with guacamole or queso, which would be at an extra charge otherwise). Additional optional toppings are offered free of charge, including: rice, beans, four types of salsa, fajita vegetables, sour cream, cheese, and lettuce. Although Chipotle styles itself as a "Mexican Grill", its menu is more accurately characterized as Cal-Mex, a form of Mexican-American cuisine with its roots in California. [[File:Chipotle Chips and Queso.jpg|thumb|Chipotle regular sized chips and queso with a side of sour cream]] When asked in 2007 about expanding the menu, Steve Ells said, "[I]t's important to keep the menu focused, because if you just do a few things, you can ensure that you do them better than anybody else." Chipotle also offers a children's menu. Most restaurants sell beer and margaritas in addition to soft drinks and fruit drinks.

The majority of food is prepared in each restaurant. Some exceptions are the beans and carnitas, which are prepared at a central kitchen in Chicago, Illinois. None of the restaurants have freezers, microwave ovens, or can openers.

The chain experimented with breakfast foods at two airports in the Washington (D.C.) metropolitan area but decided against expanding the menu in that direction. Starting in 2009, selected restaurants had offered a pozole soup, which has since been discontinued. Starting in 2009, Chipotle tested a vegan chicken product (made by Gardein) called "Garden Blend" in various cities but discontinued it in 2010.

In 2013, Chipotle began testing the tofu-based "sofritas" option (made by Hodo Soy) in Northern California restaurants; following its successful trial, it was rolled out nation-wide in 2014.

In June 2015, Chipotle began test marketing a pork and chicken chorizo-type sausage as a new protein option at selected locations in the Kansas City area. Some food writers have expressed their health related concerns over the protein's relatively high sodium content since a 4 oz serving contains 293 calories and 803 milligrams of sodium while the American Heart Association's recommended daily amount is less than 1,500 milligrams of sodium. In contrast, the protein options with next highest sodium contents are Barbacoa with 530 milligrams and sofritas with 555 milligrams. An earlier version of the Mexican sausage was tested in Denver and New York City in 2011, but that test was terminated when that version of the sausage was perceived as looking too greasy. Chorizo was discontinued in September 2017 but was returned to the menu in the following year for a limited time.

In July 2020, Chipotle began test marketing a cauliflower rice option at 55 locations in Colorado and Wisconsin.

In August 2021, Chipotle began testing a company-made vegan chorizo made with pea protein. The vegan chorizo (now called plant-based chorizo) was subsequently released nation-wide as a limited-time only item on January 3, 2022, before being removed on March 4, 2022.

Chipotle accepts fax orders, and in 2005 the company added the ability to order online from their website. For both online and fax orders, customers proceed to the front of the line to pay for pre-ordered food. In 2009, Chipotle released an app for the iPhone that allows users to find nearby Chipotle locations, place an order, and prepay with a credit card. In 2013, Chipotle released an Android app that allows users to locate nearby Chipotle locations, place an order, prepay with a credit or gift card, and access favorites and recent orders.

In late 2021, the company added a non-food item to the menu—cilantro soap. According to published reports, the soap sold out the day after its release. The soap was produced after an August 2021 Instagram post of what was thought to be a mock photo of the product. It was an effort to engage fans and haters of the herb that, "plays into a larger trend of turning digital moments into real life experiences," according to Chris Brandt, Chipotle's Chief Marketing Officer.

Nutrition

In 2003, a Center for Science in the Public Interest report stated that Chipotle's burritos contain over 1,000 calories, which is nearly equivalent to two meals' worth of food. MSNBC Health.com placed the burritos on their list of the "20 Worst Foods in America" because of their high caloric content and high sodium. When a burrito with carnitas, rice, vegetables, cheese, guacamole, and salsa was compared with a typical Big Mac, the burrito had more fat, cholesterol, carbohydrates, and sodium than the Big Mac, but it also had more protein and fiber. The restaurant has also received praise—Health.com included the restaurant in its list of the "Healthiest Fast Food Restaurants".

Chipotle's vegetarian options include rice, black beans, fajita vegetables (onions and bell peppers), salsa, guacamole, queso and cheese. All items other than the meats, cheese, sour cream, queso and honey vinaigrette dressing are vegan. The cheese is processed with vegetable-based rennet in order to be suitable for vegetarians. The flour tortillas used for the burritos and soft tacos are the only items that contain gluten.

Portion size irregularities

Some customers took to the social media platform TikTok accusing Chipotle of reducing portion sizes. In June 2024, a Wells Fargo analyst and his team set investigated the matter and ordered 75 identically configured items from 8 different Chipotle locations in New York City. The team weighed each bowl and reported that portion sizes varied widely, ranging from 14 to with a median weight of 21.5 oz.

Food sourcing

In 1999, while looking for ways to improve the taste of the carnitas, founder Steve Ells was prompted by an article written by Edward Behr to visit Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs). Ells found the CAFOs "horrific", and began sourcing from open-range pork suppliers. This caused an increase in both the price and the sales of the carnitas burritos.

In 2001, Chipotle released a mission statement called Food With Integrity, which highlighted Chipotle's efforts to increase their use of naturally raised meat, organic produce, and dairy without added hormones.

Ells testified before the United States Congress in support of the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act, which was aimed to reduce the amount of antibiotics given to farm animals.

From 2006 to 2012, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), a Floridian farmworker organization, protested Chipotle's refusal to sign a Fair Food agreement, which would commit the restaurant chain to pay a penny-per-pound premium on its Florida tomatoes to boost tomato harvesters' wages, and to only buy Florida tomatoes from growers who comply with the Fair Food Code of Conduct. In 2009, the creators of the documentary film Food, Inc. (along with 31 other leaders in the sustainable food movement) signed an open letter of support for the CIW's campaign, stating that, "If Chipotle is sincere in its wishes to reform its supply chain, the time has come to work with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers as a true partner in the protection of farmworkers rights." In September 2009, Chipotle announced that it would sidestep partnership with the CIW and instead work directly with East Coast Growers and Packers to increase wages for its tomato pickers. Ells framed the dispute as a fundamental issue of control, stating that, "the CIW wants us to sign a contract that would let them control Chipotle's decisions regarding food in the future". In October 2012, Chipotle signed an agreement with the CIW to improve working conditions.

In January 2015, Chipotle pulled carnitas from its menu in a third of its restaurants; company officials cited animal welfare problems at one of the suppliers, found during a regular audit, as the reason. The company still uses antibiotic-free and hormone-free steak in its restaurants, despite being briefly forced to "serve beef that is not naturally raised" during the summer of 2013, posting an in-store notice each time that occurred. Roberto Ferdman of The Washington Post opined that Chipotle's stated mission to sell "food with integrity" may be "untenable" if meat producers continue to breach Chipotle's ethical standards.

Also in 2015, Chipotle stopped using genetically modified corn and soybeans in their foods, claiming to be the first nationwide restaurant to cook completely GMO free. However, in 2019, Chipotle paid $6.5* *million to settle a lawsuit where the plaintiffs claimed that the company's food "may have been sourced from livestock that consumed GMO animal feed".

In 2017, Chipotle committed to transitioning away from birds bred to maximize growth at the expense of animal well-being. However, in 2024, investigations by animal welfare groups showed that they were failing to meet these standards.

Food safety

Since 2008, a former Kansas State University food safety professor has accused Chipotle of confusing the public by using such terms as "naturally raised meats", "organic ingredients", and "locally sourced" and trying to equate those terms with food safety. In rebuttal, a Chipotle spokesperson told The Daily Beast that "all of our practices have always been very much within industry norms. It's important to note that restaurant practices are regulated by health codes, and restaurants are routinely inspected by health officials. Everything we have done in our supply chain and in our restaurants has been within industry norms." Yet, FiveThirtyEight pointed out that the 2015 norovirus outbreak appears to be unusual and others are criticizing their food sourcing or handling practices. MarketWatch wrote that the result of all of these outbreaks will be to force Chipotle to obtain their produce from larger corporate farms that can afford the more extensive microbial food-safety testing programs and to process vegetables at centralized locations instead of at the individual stores, both of which are industry-standard practices that the company had previously criticized. The New York Times implied that the company's insistence on maintaining its long standing rhetoric about "food integrity" seemed to be quite opposite with the realities of recent current events and made it appear that the management was just ignoring their current problems. It also has been pointed out that Chipotle's current record-keeping system is actually hindering the health authorities' investigation in locating the sources of the various infections.

A writer for the magazine Popular Science pointed out that Chipotle had publicly acknowledged that they "may be at a higher risk for food-borne illness outbreaks than some competitors due to our use of fresh produce and meats rather than frozen, and our reliance on employees cooking with traditional methods rather than automation". Other observers have argued that the variety of pathogens implicated in different incidents (Salmonella, E. coli, and norovirus) points towards a systemic problem, and that the use of manure to grow organic food can increase the risk of spreading bacteria like E. coli.

In December 2015, Seattle health officials closed a Seattle-area Chipotle for a day after it had repeatedly had small numbers of violations during recent consecutive inspections that previously would not have generated a closure order. On December 10, 2015, CEO Steve Ells released a press statement apologizing for 2015 outbreaks and promised changes to minimize the risks of future outbreaks.

Food poisoning outbreaks

March 2008 hepatitis

In March and April 2008, the Community Epidemiology Branch of the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency traced a hepatitis A outbreak in San Diego County to a single Chipotle restaurant located in La Mesa, California, in which 22 customers were infected with the virus.

April 2008 norovirus

In 2008, Chipotle was implicated in a norovirus outbreak in Kent, Ohio, where over 400 people became ill after eating at a Chipotle restaurant. Officials at the Ohio Department of Health said that the outbreak was caused by Norovirus Genotype G2. Many of the victims were students at Kent State University. The initial source of the outbreak was never found.

July 2015 ''E. coli''

In early November 2015, The Oregonian reported that there was a little-known E. coli outbreak that had occurred earlier in July in which five people were infected with the O157:H7 strain of E. coli. The outbreak was traced to a single Chipotle location in Seattle and that the incident was not publicized at that time. Seattle public health officials defended their actions at that time by saying that the outbreak was over by the time they made an association with Chipotle. Health officials were unable to trace the source of the July outbreak and said that the cause of the July outbreak is unrelated to the October/November outbreak.

August 2015 norovirus

A norovirus outbreak occurred in August 2015 at a Simi Valley, California, location, ultimately affecting more than 200 people. Ventura County health inspectors found health violations during inspections following the outbreak. In January 2016, a federal grand jury issued a subpoena as part of a criminal investigation into the outbreak.

August 2015 ''Salmonella''

At almost the same time as the Simi Valley norovirus outbreak, Minnesota health officials confirmed a Salmonella outbreak that affected 17 Minneapolis-area Chipotle restaurants in mid-August 2015. The source of the outbreak was traced back to contaminated tomatoes that were grown in Mexico. The Minnesota Department of Health reported that samples from 45 victims were tested and found that their illness was caused by the Salmonella Newport bacterium as determined by DNA profiling. Later, the state officials reported that the total of persons who became infected was increased to 64 and the number Chipotle locations in which they had acquired the bacterium was increased to 22, all located within the state of Minnesota.

October 2015 ''E. coli''

In October 2015, an outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC O26) was linked to several Chipotle locations in Washington and Oregon. As a precaution, Chipotle closed 43 stores in Washington and Oregon pending the results and recommendations of health authorities. The restaurants reopened on November 11 after disposing of all food and deep cleaning the facilities. A separate, smaller outbreak involving five people at Chipotle restaurants in Kansas and Oklahoma in late November was later determined to be caused by a genetically different strain of STEC O26.

On February 1, 2016, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) closed their investigation, reporting that 55 persons in 11 states were infected during the main outbreak, with 21 requiring hospitalization and no fatalities. Health authorities were unable to determine a specific source for the contamination.

December 2015 norovirus

In December 2015, a norovirus outbreak at a Chipotle restaurant near Boston College sickened approximately 140 people, many of them students. The Boston Public Health Commission traced the outbreak to a sick employee who had been allowed to work.

In response to the 2015 outbreaks, Chipotle closed all locations on February 8, 2016, for an all-staff food safety meeting and hired a new head of food safety who instituted enhanced protocols including more frequent handwashing, produce sanitation procedures, and Pascalization to pre-treat ingredients.

July 2017 norovirus

Despite corrective actions, the company faced another setback in implementing their safe food policies in July 2017. A norovirus outbreak is being investigated in Virginia. More than 130 people reported having norovirus-like symptoms and two individuals had tested positive for the virus after eating at a Chipotle restaurant in Sterling, Virginia. The Loudoun County Health Department confirmed the illnesses from July 13–16, 2017. Shares of Chipotle stock dropped more than 10% on this news. On July 25, several news agencies reported that Chipotle officials confirmed that the "recent norovirus outbreak in Virginia was the result of lax sick policy enforcement by store managers" and that the company believed that an employee was the cause of the outbreak.

July 2018 ''Clostridium perfringens''

In late July 2018, Ohio public health officials launched an investigation after receiving 350 complaints from customers after they had eaten at a Powell, Ohio, location. By mid-August, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified the bacteria that cause the outbreak which had affected over 700 people as Clostridium perfringens. This food borne outbreak has been called the worst incident to date that can be traced to a single restaurant location.

Data breach

2017

In April 2017, Chipotle first announced that their point of sale payment system was compromised during a three-week period from late March to mid-April but gave very little information about the incident. The following month, the company later revealed that 2,250 restaurants in 47 states were involved which could potentially affect hundreds of thousands of customers who may had their credit or debit card account information with security codes stolen. A few restaurants in Canada were also affected. Some security experts criticized the way Chipotle had downplayed the incident. During the same month, a credit union in New Hampshire filed a class action lawsuit on the behalf of banks and credit unions against Chipotle for failure to provide elementary credit card data security in the most recent data breach after a similar data breach that had occurred in 2004. In July 2017, Gainesville, Florida, police reported that an unidentified person took more than $17,000 from an ATM at a local credit union by stealing from 40 different accounts that can be traced directly to the data breach.

2019

A number of Chipotle mobile ordering app customers claimed that their mobile ordering app accounts had been hacked and reported fraudulent orders charged to their credit cards. Chipotle claimed that the customers were using unsecured passwords, and that any fraudulent orders were a result of this. The customers then argued that the passwords they were using were secure, and that their complaints involved an issue with the server.

Lawsuits

In November 2016, three men filed a class-action lawsuit against Chipotle alleging that a burrito was listed as containing only 300 calories, when in fact it contained more. They are seeking "unspecified damages and for an injunction against the company to prevent it from posting what it calls misleading information on its food".

In January 2020, the company was fined $1.3 million by the state of Massachusetts for 13,000 child labor violations.

Labor issues and unionization

In May 2019, Chipotle was in the news for having dismissed a manager in St. Paul, Minnesota, who had been falsely accused of racism.

In December 2019, the office of the general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), Peter Robb, filed a complaint against Chipotle, accusing the company of firing a worker in New York City in retaliation for trying to organize a union, as well as alleging that a manager in Manhattan threatened to fire workers if they engaged in protected union activities, implying they could even face physical violence as a result.

In July 2022, Chipotle closed a store in Augusta, Maine, whose staff was trying to unionize, ostensibly due to staffing difficulties. In November 2022, the NLRB issued a complaint against Chipotle, accusing the company of illegally closing the Augusta store and blackballing the employees at the store in violation of the National Labor Relations Act.

In August 2022, a restaurant in Lansing, Michigan, became the chain's first location to vote to unionize with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

At multiple points in 2022, various outlets highlighted Chipotle as an example of a restaurant chain investing in robotics and automation via Chippy, an autonomous kitchen assistant made by Miso Robotics.

Advertising and publicity

In the past, Chipotle mainly relied on billboards, radio advertisements, and word of mouth to advertise. In 2010, the company initiated an ad campaign that mocks advice given to Chipotle by advertising agencies. In 2012, Chipotle aired its first nationally televised commercial during the 54th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony. Chipotle has run many promotions giving out free food to potential customers, especially when opening a new store. Stores also give out free burritos on certain holidays; for instance, on Halloween, some locations have had promotions in which free burritos are given to people who come dressed as a burrito.

Chipotle gave away free burritos to reporters during the 1997 trial of Timothy McVeigh, which took place in Chipotle's hometown of Denver. In addition, stores offered free burritos to those displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Chipotle received attention when Ozzy Osbourne's reality show The Osbournes featured the company's burritos heavily.

For Halloween 2010, Chipotle announced that customers dressed as a processed food product would receive a burrito for $2. The event was part of a $1 million fundraiser for Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution called "Boorito 2010: The Horrors of Processed Food". Also in support of family farms, Chipotle released music videos of Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Willie Nelson.

On September 12, 2013, Chipotle released an animated short called The Scarecrow, with a companion mobile video game; both feature a narrative heavily critical of industrial farming, but little in the way of direct marketing for the chain. The short features a cover of "Pure Imagination" from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, sung by Fiona Apple. It was named one of the worst advertisements of 2013 by The Wall Street Journal.

In 2011, Chipotle created the "Farm Team", which is a rewards program available only by invitation from restaurant managers. The Farm Team members have access to a special Chipotle website, where members can earn rewards, i.e. free food and T-shirts. The site offers members to, "learn where Chipotle's food comes from, take quizzes and polls, play games and watch videos about the company". In April 2014, the Farm Team program was shut down.

Chipotle sponsors Team Garmin-Barracuda (formerly Team Garmin-Chipotle, Team Garmin-Slipstream, Team Garmin-Transitions and Team Garmin-Cervélo) of the International Cycling Union, and is an official team partner of the Boston Celtics, and the Boston Bruins. In June 2009, Chipotle sponsored free screenings of Food, Inc., a film that criticizes the corporate food industry. Founder Steve Ells stated that he hoped the film would make customers appreciate Chipotle's Food With Integrity policy. From May until September 2009, Chipotle ran a contest on mychipotle.com, a microsite which had a competition for the best user-created audio and video presentations about different combinations of ingredients. In July 2010, Chipotle began a campaign to support healthier lunch alternatives for students, in which money will be donated to The Lunch Box program based on how many spam Emails consumers forward to a company Email address.

In 2014, Chipotle collaborated on a viral marketing campaign with the rock band Spoon, in support of the band's album, They Want My Soul.

For Chipotle's 18th anniversary, the company began wrapping its burritos in gold foil as part of a larger promotion to draw attention to its Food With Integrity mantra. Also as part of the gold foil campaign, Chipotle is offering prizes for customer-created pictures of items wrapped in gold foil. Chipotle hired comedian Amy Sedaris to create a comedic how-to video on wrapping with gold foil, and spread the video using Twitter. In March 2013, Chipotle pulled its sponsorship of a Boy Scouts of America event, citing that organization's ban on LGBT members.

On March 14, 2016, a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) administrative law judge concluded that Chipotle's social media policy, and more specifically its application towards an employee who posted tweets regarding wages and working conditions, violated the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). A former Chipotle employee in Havertown, Pennsylvania, wrote a series of tweets from his personal account about hourly workers being required to work on snow days. Chipotle instructed the employee to delete the tweets. The NLRB judge determined that Chipotle's request to delete the tweets violated the NLRA even though the employee was not disciplined as a result of his tweets.

In July 2021, Chipotle rolled out limited edition gold foil at participating locations to celebrate American athletes competing in Tokyo at the 2020 Summer Olympics. On October 28, 2021, Chipotle announced $1 million of burritos to be given away for free for the first 30,000 people to play the Chipotle experience on the video game Roblox. The site ended up experiencing a three-day outage, but the company clarified that it was not the fault of Chipotle.

On February 16, 2023, MoneyGram Haas F1 Team announced a sponsorship deal with Chipotle. The Chipotle logo will be featured on both the nose and side of the VF-23, race-suits of drivers Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg and team apparel.

Architecture

Architecturally, all Chipotle restaurants are built using most of the same material finishes (plywood, corrugated metal, stainless steel, exposed ductwork), although each store is unique. The interiors have been described as having an "industrial, sheet metal look". Chipotle has built restaurants using white ceramic tile instead of stainless steel. It costs the company approximately $850,000 to open a new restaurant. When the first Chipotle opened, Steve Ells asked his friend, sculptor Bruce Gueswel, to design the chairs and a styled Mayan king whose face was loosely based on that of civil rights movement leader Martin Luther King Jr., a personal inspiration of Gueswel, for the restaurant. Both items were made from wood and metal. Gueswel has continued to design and build the art and chairs for all subsequent Chipotle restaurants.

Most Chipotle locations display a photograph of the original restaurant, which is near the University of Denver campus on Evans Avenue.

Chipotle has made arrangements to add solar panels to 75 of its restaurants.

Chipotle was the defendant in a lawsuit for failure to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Maurizio Antoninetti, a customer who used a wheelchair, claimed he was denied the "Chipotle Experience", because he was unable to see the food preparation. The case against the company was upheld in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Chipotle has "an official disability policy of bringing ingredients to the tables of diners with disabilities and doing tableside preparation." Chipotle is retrofitting restaurants affected by the ruling, replacing the walls in front of the food preparation area with lower ones or transparent panels. They are incorporating the new design elements into new restaurants.

Other restaurant units

;Former units Farmesa

• Farmesa was a restaurant concept launch by Chipotle in March 2023 that specialized in custom-made bowls. The first location opened in Santa Monica.

Pizzeria Locale

• Pizzeria Locale (2013–2023) was a fast casual pizza restaurant chain formed as a partnership with the original Pizzeria Locale, a single full-service pizza restaurant in Boulder, Colorado. The original Pizzeria Locale owners, Bobby Stuckey and Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson, would continue to own their original location in Boulder while Chipotle would increase its stake in the chain over time. The first jointly owned location (with Chipotle) opened in Denver in May 2013. A second Denver location was opened in October 2014. The first location outside of Colorado was opened in Kansas City in July 2015. The first location in Cincinnati, the fourth in the chain, was opened in March 2016. By February 2017, the chain had grown to seven locations. In March 2019, Pizzeria Locale announced plans to open two additional locations within the Denver metropolitan area, one in Hale and the other in Stapleton. The planned Pizzeria Locale for Stapleton opened in December 2019, to make it the third location in operation. It was announced in February 2020 that the new Pizzeria Locale at the 9th and Colorado mixed-use development in Hale was expected to open later that year. The Hale restaurant finally opened in August 2020. In July 2023, Chipotle announced that they were closing all of their remaining Pizzeria Locale locations in Denver and would "dissolve the business". To distance themselves from the failed partnership, the owners of the original Pizzeria Locale restaurant in Boulder renamed their surviving restaurant Pizzeria Alberico around the same time.

• Soul Daddy (May–Jun 2011) was a soul food fast casual restaurant that was owned by ANGR Holdings, LLC, and was managed by Chipotle after purchasing Ells' stake in the company.
• ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen (2011–2017) was an Asian fast-casual concept restaurant that was opened by Chipotle in September 2011.
• Tasty Made (2016–2018) was a burger restaurant concept that Chipotle first opened in Lancaster, Ohio, in October 2016. On July 29, 2016, the company announced the opening of its first Tasty Made burger restaurant in the fall. The first location was revealed to be in Lancaster, Ohio. Ohio was selected as culinary manager Nate Appleman and national training director David Chrisman are both from the state and helped design the concept. Tasty Made was announced to have a focused menu like early burger restaurants which were limited to burgers, fries and milkshakes.

References

References

1. Shambora, Jessica. (October 9, 2010). "Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (CMG)". [[CNNMoney]].
2. Birdsall, John. (October 11, 2016). "The Story of the Mission Burrito, Piled High and Rolled Tight". Bon Appetit.
3. Montgomery, Kevin. "Chipotle's Roots in the Mission". Uptown Almanac.
4. "BIG MILESTONE IN THE "LITTLE APPLE:" CHIPOTLE OPENS ITS 4,000TH RESTAURANT, LOCATED IN MANHATTAN, KANSAS".
5. . (). ["Online Etymology Dictionary"](http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=chipotle). *etymonline.com*.
6. Forgrieve, Janet. (January 27, 2006). "Founder shines as shares hit $45.1 million". [[Rocky Mountain News]].
7. Jennings, Lisa. (July 17, 2006). "Mexican fast-casual chains revamp offerings as parents mull spinoffs". Nations Restaurant News.
8. Brand, Rachel. (December 23, 2006). "Chipotle founder had big dreams". [[Rocky Mountain News]].
9. (February 2, 2016). "Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. Announces Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2015 Results; CDC Investigation Over; Chipotle Welcomes Customers Back to Restaurants". Chipotle Mexican Grill.
10. Peng, Jen. (September 20, 2025). "The 2 US States That Don't Have A Single Chipotle Location". [[Tasting Table]].
11. Betz, Alicia. (March 24, 2024). "Why You Won't Find Chipotle In Hawaii Or Alaska". [[Chowhound]].
12. Murar, Katie. (January 8, 2018). "Chipotle has no plans to open in Hawaii". Pacific Business News.
13. Parrish, Marlene. (May 20, 2007). "Fresh and fast: Chipotle Mexican Grill chain buys from family farms". [[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]].
14. Biondich, Sarah. (February 6, 2008). "Food with Integrity". [[Shepherd Express.
15. First Chipotle Mexican Grill location, 1644 East Evans Avenue, at the corner of South Gilpin Street, Denver, Colorado, United States: {{coord. 39.67834. -104.967682. type:landmark_region:US
16. Hefferman, Margaret. (September 15, 2010). "Chipotle Grill's Secret Ingredient: Obsession".
17. Debaise, Colleen. (September 17, 2009). "Starting Chipotle From Scratch". [[The Wall Street Journal]].
18. Cohen, Arrianne. (March 20, 2008). "Ode To A Burrito".
19. Trollinger, Amy. (February 8, 1998). "Big Burritos are Coming to Kansas City". [[American City Business Journals#Kansas City Business Journal.
20. (2017). "Chipotle Mexican Grill: Food with Integrity?". Kellogg School of Management.
21. Forgrieve, Janet. (January 27, 2006). "Feeding frenzy". [[Rocky Mountain News]].
22. . (December 15, 2006). ["Chipotle Mexican Grill Names Monty Moran to Board of Directors"](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20061215005153/en/Chipotle-Mexican-Grill-Names-Monty-Moran-Board). *[[Business Wire]]*.
23. . (March 12, 2007). ["Burrito Buzz—And So Few Ads"](http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_11/b4025088.htm).
24. Laurent, Lionel. (February 22, 2008). "McDonald's Serves Up Another Sale".
25. (February 2, 2015). "Chipotle: The Definitive Oral History". [[Bloomberg News]].
26. Hamilton, Nathan. (December 27, 2015). "15 Things You May Not Have Known About Chipotle Mexican Grill".
27. DeMontis, Rita. (August 13, 2008). "Come on down to Life Square for free burittos". [[Toronto Sun]].
28. . (January 5, 2009). ["Chipotle names Moran co-CEO, eyes move into Europe"](https://www.reuters.com/article/chipotle-idUSN0531882920090105). *[[Reuters]]*.
29. . (March 25, 2010). ["Two Colorado restaurant chains on 10-fastest-growing list"](http://denver.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2010/03/22/daily57.html). *[[American City Business Journals#Denver Business Journal*.
30. Brandau, Mark. (March 14, 2011). "The fastest-growing restaurant brands".
31. . (August 2011). ["Four big names lose"](http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine-archive/2011/august/food/fast-food/overview/index.htm).
32. Lean, Lucy. (July 6, 2010). "Fast Food Using Slow Food?: Talking With Chipotles' Steve Ells". [[LA Weekly]].
33. Strand, Oliver. (December 14, 2010). "Nate Appleman, Rising Star, Turns Up in a Chipotle". The New York Times.
34. Baertlein, Lisa. (February 17, 2011). "Chipotle fired 450 after Minn. immigration audit". Reuters.
35. Jargon, Julie. (January 21, 2011). "Chipotle Faces Protesters After Firings Over Audit". [[The Wall Street Journal]].
36. Li, Shan. (February 4, 2011). "Chipotle chain targeted for federal immigration audits". [[Los Angeles Times]].
37. Jordan, Miriam. (May 4, 2011). "Chipotle Hiring Probe Expands". [[The Wall Street Journal]].
38. (June 17, 2011). "Exclusive: Chipotle hires A-list lawyers for immigration probe". Reuters.
39. Baertlein, Lisa. (April 17, 2014). "Chipotle raising prices as steak, avocados, cheese costs rise". Reuters.
40. Malcolm, Hadley. (September 1, 2015). "Chipotle will start delivering to 40 college campuses this fall". USA Today.
41. Peterson, Hayley. (December 12, 2016). "Chipotle co-CEO steps down as chain struggles to recover from sales slump".
42. Bowman, Jeremy. (December 14, 2016). "In the latest step in its recovery, the burrito chain scuttled its co-CEO structure, making Founder Steve Ells the sole leader.".
43. Taylor, Kate. (November 29, 2017). "Chipotle's founder plans to step down as the struggling chain begins the hunt for a new CEO". Business Insider.
44. Rubino, Joe. (December 13, 2017). "Chipotle moving corporate HQ into Denver's forthcoming 1144 Fifteenth tower". [[Denver Post]].
45. Hsu, Tiffany. (February 13, 2018). "Chipotle Takes a Page, and a C.E.O., From Taco Bell". The New York Times.
46. Meyer, Zlati. (February 13, 2018). "Taco Bell's CEO jumps ship to head Chipotle". [[USA Today]].
47. Lovelace, Berkeley Jr.. (February 14, 2018). "Cramer: Chipotle goes against everything it stands for by poaching Taco Bell's CEO".
48. Garcia, Tonya. "Chipotle to relocate its HQ to Newport Beach, Calif., impacting 400 staffers".
49. "CHIPOTLE OPENS 500TH CHIPOTLANE® RESTAURANT - Nov 16, 2022".
50. "Chipotle is closing dozens of locations in the next month". Business Insider.
51. (June 28, 2018). "Chipotle Planning Major Revamp Under New CEO, Dozens Of Restaurant Locations Will Close Within 30 Days". The Inquisitr.
52. Sexton, Josie. (March 6, 2020). "Chipotle founder Steve Ells leaves the company after 27 years: His departure comes nearly two years after Chipotle moved its headquarters from Denver to Newport Beach". [[Denver Post]].
53. Lucas, Amelia. (January 26, 2023). "Chipotle seeks to hire 15,000 restaurant workers ahead of busy spring months".
54. Luna, Nancy. "Chipotle wants to hire 15,000 restaurant workers as it plans double in size to 7,000 restaurants in the coming years".
55. Haddon, Heather. (2023-07-18). "Chipotle Is Bringing Its Burritos to Small Town U.S.A.". Wall Street Journal.
56. (September 9, 2024). "Chipotle Debuts Autocado and teh Augmented Makeline by Hyphen in Restaurants".
57. Leasca, Stacey. (2024-09-16). "and It's Set to Make Its Restaurants Way More Efficient".
58. Lucas, Amelia. (2025-07-23). "Chipotle stock tumbles 9% after chain cuts same-store sales forecast".
59. Littman, Julie. (August 21, 2025). "Chipotle launches Zipline drone delivery in Texas". Restaurant Dive.
60. Hubbard, Sonya. (April 7, 2011). "Expanding the Chipotle empire…". Morningstar, Inc..
61. Aristotle Munarriz, Richard. (September 28, 2011). "Test-Driving Chipotle's New ShopHouse Eatery".
62. Jennings, Lisa. (November 3, 2010). "Chipotle to open Asian fast-casual concept". Nation's Restaurant News.
63. Anderson, Mark. (November 8, 2010). "Chipotle to serve up Asian eatery". [[American City Business Journals#Sacramento Business Journal.
64. (July 28, 2016}}{{dead link). "Chipotle branching out, plans to open burger restaurant". Los Angeles Times.
65. Pintado, Amanda Pérez. (February 15, 2023). "Chipotle spinoff restaurant: Farmesa to serve customizable bowls with salmon, veggies and more". [[USA Today]].
66. Kaplan, Jessica. (February 21, 2023). "Chipotle Is Opening Up a New Spinoff Restaurant—Here's Everything We Know So Far".
67. "SEC Filings".
68. [https://www.globaldata.com/data-insights/foodservice/chipotle-mexican-grill-number-of-restaurants-globally/ Chipotle Mexican Grill: Number of Restaurants Globally (2007 – 2021)] Global Data
69. "Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (CMG) Stock Major Holders - Yahoo Finance".
70. "Investor Relations". Chipotle.
71. (December 2018). "Board of Directors". Chipotle}}{{Dead link.
72. (March 14, 2018). "Chipotle marketing chief leaves nearly two years after cocaine bust". New York Post.
73. . (October 22, 2010). ["Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. Announces Third Quarter 2009 Results"](https://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS226593+22-Oct-2009+BW20091022). *Reuters*.
74. Reklaitis, Victor. (November 2, 2010). "Chipotle's Steve Ells Fine-Tunes Fast Food".
75. Chamberlain, Andrew. (August 15, 2015). "EO to Worker Pay Ratios: Average CEO Earns 204 Times Median Worker Pay". Glassdoor.
76. Brown, Dalvin. (March 6, 2020). "Chipotle founder Steve Ells steps down as executive chairman". [[USA Today]].
77. Kaye, Danielle. (2024-08-13). "Starbucks Names Chipotle Boss as New C.E.O.". The New York Times.
78. Luhn, Michele. (2024-08-13). "Chipotle stock falls as CEO Brian Niccol leaves for Starbucks".
79. (August 13, 2024). "Chipotle announces CEO departure". [[PR Newswire]].
80. (November 11, 2024). "Chipotle Mexican Grill names Scott Boatwright as permanent CEO". [[CNBC]].
81. "Management".
82. . (November 24, 2007). ["Chipotle chalks up successby defying fast-food gospel"](http://www.sptimes.com/2007/11/24/Business/Chipotle_chalks_up_su.shtml). *[[Tampa Bay Times*.
83. . (December 30, 2010). ["2010 Form 10-K, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc."](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1058090/000119312511039010/d10k.htm). *United States Securities and Exchange Commission*.
84. . (April 20, 2011). ["Chipotle Mexican Grill posts higher 1Q profit"](http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9MNLAG00.htm).
85. . (December 31, 2011). ["2011 Form 10-K Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc."](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1058090/000119312512052969/d280751d10k.htm). *[[U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission*.
86. (2012). "Strategic Management Cases: Competitiveness and Globalization". [[Cengage Learning]].
87. Lucas, Amelia. (2023-07-12). "Chipotle tests robot that can prepare avocados to make guacamole faster".
88. Bowman, Jeremy. (October 17, 2014). "Why Chipotle Mexican Grill Stock Looks Like A Great Long Term Investment". [[The Motley Fool]].
89. Rogers, Kate. (2023-07-18). "Chipotle signs first-ever franchise partner to open locations in the Middle East".
90. Littman, Julie. (April 21, 2025). "Chipotle is going to Mexico". [[Restaurant Dive]].
91. (2025-09-10). "CHIPOTLE TO EXPAND TO ASIA FOR THE FIRST TIME THROUGH A JOINT VENTURE WITH SPC GROUP".
92. Milstead, David. (August 16, 2010). "Chipotle Mexican Grill shares are a bit too spicy". [[The Globe and Mail]].
93. Korstrom, Glen. (December 13, 2012). "Chipotle opens first Vancouver restaurant".
94. (15 March 2022). "Chipotle moving into an old Starbucks location in downtown Vancouver". Glacier Media Group.
95. William-Ross, Lindsay. (15 March 2022). "Chipotle moving into an old Starbucks location in downtown Vancouver".
96. . (February 2, 2017). ["Chipotle now open in Ottawa"](https://www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/article/chipotle-now-open-in-ottawa/).
97. Landry, Chris. (October 20, 2023). "American Chain Chipotle Opens First Calgary Restaurant in Sunridge".
98. Lyons, Alicia. (September 17, 2024). "Chipotle is opening its very first location in Edmonton this week & here's where". [[Curiosity (website)]].
99. "Chipotle Locations".
100. . (May 10, 2010). ["Chipotle opens restaurant in London, its 1st in EU"](http://denver.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2010/05/10/daily4.html). *[[American City Business Journals#Denver Business Journal*.
101. Kaplan, Melanie D.G.. (April 12, 2010). "Chipotle founder: Why grass-fed animals make a better burrito".
102. Thompson, James. (June 5, 2010). "A triple helping of American fast food: Three major US restaurant chains are launching in the UK, but do British consumers have the appetite?". [[The Independent]].
103. Paskin, Becky. (September 2, 2011). "Mexican restaurant chain Chipotle opens second UK site".
104. Nicholls, Luke. (March 13, 2012). "Chipotle to open third, fourth and fifth restaurants in London".
105. Eversham, Emma. (September 20, 2012). "Chipotle to open sixth London restaurant".
106. Witts, Sophie. (April 13, 2015). "Chipotle opening seventh London site".
107. Wong, Venessa. (February 26, 2013). "Why Chipotle Sales Lag in London". [[Bloomberg News]].
108. Boyle, Matthew. (April 23, 2013). "Chipotle's Slow London Sales Open Door for U.K. Burritos". [[Bloomberg News]].
109. "Chipotle Locations in the UK". Chipotle.
110. Pham, Anne-Laure. (May 31, 2012). "On a testé le premier Chipotle à Paris 9e".
111. . (October 21, 2011). ["Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. Reports Operating Results (10-Q)"](http://www.gurufocus.com/news/148933/chipotle-mexican-grill-inc-reports-operating-results-10q).
112. . (October 15, 2013). ["Chipotle ouvre un restaurant au centre commercial Beaugrenelle"](http://www.fastandfood.fr/2013/10/15/chipotle-ouvre-un-restaurant-au-centre-commercial-beaugrenelle/).
113. Majoube, Ulla. (December 27, 2014). "Le plus grand restaurant Chipotle au monde ouvre fin mars à la Défense".
114. . (March 5, 2014). ["Paris to become home to biggest Chipotle restaurant in world"](http://www.themalaymailonline.com/eat-drink/article/paris-to-become-home-to-biggest-chipotle-restaurant-in-world). *[[Malay Mail]]*.
115. Palierse, Christophe. (September 16, 2015). "L'américain Chipotle vient défier McDo en France". [[Les Échos (France).
116. . (September 14, 2016). ["Chipotle ouvre une nouvelle taqueria à St Germain des Près !"](https://www.lebonbon.fr/paris/news/chipotle-ouvre-une-nouvelle-taqueria-a-st-germain-des-pres/).
117. Bravo, Encarna. (November 12, 2021). "Ouverture du premier Chipotle à Lyon". Neo Restauration.
118. (November 2, 2021). "Lyon : ouverture d'un restaurant Chipotle à la Part-Dieu". Lyon Magazine.
119. . (June 6, 2013). ["Chipotle Mexican Grill eröffnet in der Skyline Plaza"](http://www.genussmagazin-frankfurt.de/gastro_news/Auf-und-Zu-19/Ol-Chipotle-Mexican-Grill-eroeffnet-in-der-Skyline-Plaza-18858.html?newsletter_id=1469).
120. Caldart, Isabella. (October 14, 2013). "Die Burritos erobern Frankfurt".
121. Pfannschmidt-Wahl, Jutta. (April 11, 2019). "Foodtopia ist eröffnet".
122. Jennings, Lisa. (April 22, 2024). "Chipotle's first international franchised location officially opens in Kuwait". Restaurant Business.
123. Kelso, Alicia. (October 2, 2024). "Chipotle makes its debut in the United Arab Emirates". [[Nation's Restaurant News]].
124. Nair, Arya M.. (August 31, 2025). "Chipotle Mexican Grill opens 3rd restaurant in UAE". GCC Business News.
125. "Chipotle in Doha, Qatar | Villaggio Mall".
126. (September 24, 2025). "Qatar, are you ready to roll? Chipotle Mexican Grill has officially landed — and the first store is opening at Villaggio Mall!". New in Doha.
127. Dean, Tommy. (June 6, 2013). "Chipotle's Vegan Sofritas Now Served in All of CA".
128. . (). ["Vegans and Carnivores Unite"](http://chipotle.com/en-US/html/sofritas.html). *Chipotle Mexican Grill*.
129. Jones, Robin. (April 25, 2006). "Chipotle Mexican Grill in Cerritos". [[Los Angeles Daily News]].
130. . (). ["Chipotle – Ingredients"](http://www.chipotle.com/#flash/food_ingredients). *Chipotle Mexican Grill*.
131. . (February 16, 2007). ["Chipotle: Fast Food with 'Integrity'"](http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/feb2007/id20070216_695485.htm).
132. Benson, Brian. (September 24, 2009). "Chipotle to offer free kid's meals at local restaurants".
133. Cicero, Karen. (March 2015). "20 Best Kids-Menu Dishes".
134. Halpern, Steven. (April 9, 2010). "Chipotle Mexican (CMG): Grilled Gains in 'Fast-Casual'". BloggingStocks.
135. Hesser, Amanda. (February 27, 2005). "The Way We Eat".
136. Carter, Ryan. (December 10, 2008). "Chipotle Mexican Grill to open Friday". [[Record Herald]].
137. Andrews, Elyse. (May 8, 2010). "Ignore the News, Listen to the Market".
138. Peterson, Hayley. (March 13, 2014). "Here's Why You Won't See A Chipotle Breakfast Burrito Any Time Soon".
139. Peterson, Hayley. (April 10, 2015). "Why Chipotle doesn't serve breakfast burritos".
140. . (). ["Chicken Pozole Bowl"](http://www.chipotle.com/en-US/chicken_pozole_bowl.html). *Chipotle*.
141. Sheehan, Jason. (September 16, 2009). "Chipotle tests a new menu in Colorado, but it's no improvement". [[Westword]].
142. MacArthur, Kate. (January 11, 2011). "Chipotle puts soup on Chicago menus". [[Crain's Chicago Business]].
143. "Chipotle Expands Garden Blend". Chipotle.
144. (April 11, 2013). "Chipotle adds new vegetarian menu item in Norcal". Chipotle.
145. (November 23, 2016). "Chipotle's Sofritas vegan tofu goes national". Chipotle.
146. . (June 4, 2015). ["Chipotle testing chorizo sausage at select locations"](https://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/chipotle-testing-chorizo-sausage-at-select-locations).
147. Shah, Khushbu. (June 2, 2015). "Chipotle Is Testing Chorizo Burritos in Kansas City Right Now".
148. Silva, Jill Wendholt. (June 2, 2015). "Chipotle uses Kansas City to test market chorizo". [[The Kansas City Star]].
149. Silva, Jill Wendholt. (June 3, 2015). "Thumbs up for Chipotle's chorizo on taste, but watch for the sodium". [[The Kansas City Star]].
150. . (November 11, 2014). ["About Sodium (Salt)"](http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/NutritionCenter/HealthyEating/About-Sodium-Salt_UCM_463416_Article.jsp).
151. Trinidad, Erik R.. (June 29, 2011). "Fast Food Review: Chipotle's Limited-Availability Chorizo".
152. Wohl, Jessica. (June 2, 2015). "Chipotle picks Kansas City to test chorizo". [[Chicago Tribune]].
153. Whitten, Sarah. (September 18, 2017). "It's official: Chipotle is ditching chorizo and placing its bets on queso".
154. (September 10, 2018). "You Asked, Chipotle Answered. Chorizo Returns.".
155. Lucas, Amelia. (2020-07-13). "Chipotle will test cauliflower rice as consumers cut grains out of their diets".
156. Lucas, Amelia. (2021-08-19). "Chipotle is testing a meatless chorizo alternative in two markets".
157. Lucas, Amelia. (2022-01-03). "Chipotle adds meatless chorizo to its menu for limited time".
158. (September 25, 2007). "Chipotle Mexican Grill Opens Second Location In Greensboro". Carolina Newswire.
159. . (August 25, 2009). ["Burritos On the Go: Locate, Order and Pay Using iPhone and iPod touch"](http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=194775&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1324040). *Chipotle Mexican Grill*.
160. Raycraft, Steve. (November 6, 2013). "Fresh Meat: 10 Android apps worth checking out".
161. King, Bertel Jr.. (November 8, 2013). "Chipotle's Mobile Ordering App For Android Is Now Available In All Locations, Lets You Pick Up Your Food Without Waiting In Line".
162. Maruf, Ramishah. (2021-12-03). "Chipotle is selling a cilantro soap — and people can't get enough".
163. . (September 30, 2003). ["Fresh Mex: Not Always Healthy Mex"](http://www.cspinet.org/new/200309301.html). *Center for Science in the Public Interest*.
164. "Chipotle Nutrition". Chipotle Mexican Grill.
165. Goulding, Matt. "The 20 worst foods in America". Today.com.
166. McWilliams, James. (June 15, 2010). "McDonald's vs. Chipotle: Does the Big Mac Win?".
167. (February 19, 2009). "America's Top 10 Healthiest Fast Food Restaurants". Health.com.
168. . (). ["Special Diet Information"](http://www.chipotle.com/en-US/menu/special_diet_information/special_diet_information.aspx). *Chipotle Mexican Grill*.
169. Tepper, Rachel. (September 24, 2013). "Chipotle's Pinto Beans Will Soon Ditch Pork, Be Totally Vegetarian Nationwide". [[The Huffington Post]].
170. Anderson, Mark. (April 30, 2010). "Roseville Chipotle tests new vegan option". Sacramento Business Journal.
171. Meyersohn, Nathaniel. (2024-06-28). "An analyst ordered 75 Chipotle burrito bowls to test portion sizes".
172. . (February 8, 2008). ["Chipotle Begins Serving Naturally Raised Beef in All of Its Minnesota Restaurants"](http://www.redorbit.com/news/business/1258707/chipotle_begins_serving_naturally_raised_beef_in_all_of_its/index.html). *RedOrbit*.
173. Barnes, Steve. (November 5, 2009). "Integrity is key to Chipotle brand". [[Times Union (Albany)]].
174. (July 16, 2009). "Chipotle supports proposed ban on antibiotics". Drovers.
175. Arellano, Kristi. (September 13, 2006). "Chipotle squeezed over Fla. tomatoes". [[The Denver Post]].
176. . (June 15, 2009). ["Sustainable food leaders' letter to Chipotle CEO Steve Ells"](http://www.ciw-online.org/letter_to_Chipotle.html). *Coalition of Immokalee Workers*.
177. Glover, Katherine. (September 10, 2009). "Chipotle Agrees to Raise Tomato Wages (Finally)". [[BNET]].
178. Evans, Clay. (August 19, 2011). "At the table with Steve Ells".
179. (2012-10-04). "Chipotle signs agreement to improve conditions for workers".
180. . (January 15, 2015). ["Pulled Pork"](http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/chipotlepork.asp).
181. Pankratz, Howard. (August 13, 2013). "Chipotle says its beef remains antibiotic-free". [[The Denver Post]].
182. Ferdman, Roberto A.. (January 14, 2015). "Why Chipotle's pork problem is a bad sign for its future". [[The Washington Post]].
183. (April 26, 2015). "Chipotle to Stop Using Genetically Altered Food". The New York Times.
184. (September 13, 2019). "CHIPOTLE TO PAY $6.5M TO SETTLE CLASS-ACTION SUIT OVER NON-GMO CLAIMS". Restaurant Business.
185. (2024-02-28). "Chipotle Claims Better Animal Welfare Standards, but a New Investigation Suggests Otherwise".
186. Allen, Samantha. (December 11, 2015). "Was Chipotle's Freshness Obsession Its Downfall?". [[The Daily Beast]].
187. Libresco, Leah. (December 11, 2015). "Chipotle's Norovirus Outbreak Is Not A Typical Norovirus Outbreak". [[FiveThirtyEight]].
188. Lee, Timothy B.. (December 11, 2015). "Was Chipotle too busy avoiding the fake dangers of GMOs to focus on actual food safety?". [[Vox (website).
189. Fickenscher, Lisa. (December 11, 2015). "Turns out Chipotle's been making people sick for months". [[New York Post]].
190. Jargon, Julie. (December 15, 2015). "Chipotle altering plans after ''E. coli'' outbreak". [[MarketWatch]].
191. [[Stephanie Strom. (December 21, 2015). "Chipotle ''E. coli'' Cases Rise, With 5 More Ill in Midwest". The New York Times.
192. Gray, Kevin. (December 17, 2015). "Chipotle: Our Food Is So Fresh, It Could Make You Sick: Why the chain's practices may increase foodborne illness". [[Popular Science]].
193. (December 31, 2014). "2014 Annual Report and Proxy Statement". Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc..
194. (December 31, 2013). "2013 Annual Report and Proxy Statement". Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc..
195. Miller, Henry I.. (December 14, 2015). "Chipotle: The Long Defeat Of Doing Nothing Well". [[Forbes]].
196. Coggin, Will. (January 8, 2016). "Chipotle's dangerous and lucrative food farce". [[The News & Observer]].
197. Aleccia, JoNel. (December 10, 2015). "Chipotle in Seattle closed for repeated violations". [[The Seattle Times]].
198. (December 10, 2015). "Chipotle shares jump as CEO apologizes over illnesses, vows chang". [[Reuters]].
199. . (May 5, 2008). ["Hepatitis A Update – May 5, 2008"](http://www.sandiegocounty.gov/hhsa/docs/HepAUpdate.pdf). *San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency*.
200. . (June 18, 2008). ["More Lawsuits Filed After Hepatitis Outbreak At Local Restaurant"](http://www.10news.com/news/more-lawsuits-filed-after-hepatitis-outbreak-at-local-restaurant).
201. . (April 28, 2008). ["State: Test results in on food samples taken from Kent Chipotle"](http://www.wkyc.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=88229).
202. . (April 28, 2008). ["Test Results Are Back For Norovirus at Kent Chipotle"](http://www.cleveland19.com/story/8236821/test-results-are-back-for-norovirus-at-kent-chipotle).
203. . (April 18, 2008). ["Chipotle in Kent closes after health scare"](http://www.ohio.com/news/chipotle-in-kent-closes-after-health-scare-1.90394). *[[Akron Beacon Journal]]*.
204. Terry, Lynne. (November 10, 2015). "Chipotle involved in 4th outbreak this year that was kept secret". [[The Oregonian]].
205. . (November 5, 2015). ["At least 37 now sick in Northwest Chipotle ''E. coli'' outbreak"](http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/at-least-37-now-sick-in-chipotle-e-coli-outbreak-officials-say/). *[[The Seattle Times]]*.
206. Mai-Duc, Christine. (September 4, 2015). "Norovirus caused illness outbreak at Ventura Chipotle restaurant, officials say". [[Los Angeles Times]].
207. Abrams, Rachel. (January 6, 2016). "Chipotle Is Subpoenaed in Criminal Inquiry Over Norovirus Outbreak". The New York Times.
208. (6 January 2016). "Chipotle under criminal investigation in California norovirus outbreak". The Denver Post.
209. Masunaga, Samantha. (January 6, 2016). "Chipotle is subpoenaed in criminal probe tied to norovirus in Simi Valley". [[Los Angeles Times]].
210. Olson, Jeremy. (September 11, 2015). "Minnesota Salmonella outbreak linked to Chipotle restaurants: Suspect produce has already been swapped out of Twin Cities restaurants, but the Minnesota Department of Health wants to know of any severe stomach illnesses following meals at Chipotle". [[Star Tribune.
211. (September 15, 2015). "Health Dept.: Tomatoes source of salmonella outbreak at Minnesota Chipotle restaurants". [[Star Tribune.
212. . (September 10, 2015). ["Health officials investigating Salmonella cases linked to Chipotle restaurants in Minnesota"](http://www.health.state.mn.us/news/pressrel/2015/salmonella091015.html).
213. . (September 16, 2015). ["Update: Tomatoes identified as source of Salmonella outbreak in restaurant chain"](http://www.health.state.mn.us/news/pressrel/2015/salmonella091615.html).
214. Fieldstadt, Elisha. (October 31, 2015). "43 Washington and Oregon Chipotle Restaurants Closed After ''E. coli'' Outbreak".
215. Aleccia, JoNel. (October 31, 2015). "All Washington Chipotle restaurants close amid ''E. coli'' investigation". [[The Seattle Times]].
216. Fox, Maggie. (November 11, 2015). "Chipotle to Reopen Washington, Oregon Outlets After ''E. coli'' Outbreak".
217. (February 1, 2016). "Multistate Outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing ''Escherichia coli'' O26 Infections Linked to Chipotle Mexican Grill in Washington and Oregon".
218. (December 10, 2015). "BC Official: There's now more than 140 students likely sick with norovirus: The Boston Public Health Commission confirmed the presence of norovirus Wednesday after testing.". [[The Boston Globe]].
219. Nickisch, Curt. (December 10, 2015). "Boston Health Officials: Norovirus Is Behind Chipotle Outbreak Sickening Dozens".
220. (January 15, 2016). "Chipotle to close all stores on Feb. 8 for all-staff meeting on food safety". [[USA Today]].
221. Strom, Stephanie. (September 22, 2016). "Every Day's a Safety Drill as Chipotle Woos Customers Back". The New York Times.
222. (July 24, 2017). "Chipotle stock down over norovirus reports". Washington Post.
223. (July 24, 2017). "Second norovirus case confirmed from Chipotle eatery in Virginia". USA Today.
224. Whitten, Sarah. (July 25, 2017). "Chipotle's recent norovirus outbreak was the result of lax sick-policy enforcement".
225. Goldman, David. (July 26, 2017). "Chipotle says sick employee responsible for latest outbreak".
226. (August 1, 2018). "More than 350 people report getting sick from Ohio Chipotle: Officials". ABC News.
227. (August 16, 2018). "Chipotle confirms cause of foodborne illness at Ohio restaurant".
228. (August 20, 2018). "More than 700 people have gotten sick.".
229. Harrison, Olivia. (August 8, 2018). "We Finally Know Why More Than 600 People Got Sick After Eating At An Ohio Chipotle".
230. Kell, John. (April 25, 2017). "Chipotle Says Its Payments System Was Hacked".
231. Abel, Robert. (April 26, 2017). "EMV chips with that Chipotle PoS breach?".
232. (May 30, 2017). "Massive Chipotle Data Breach Affected Roughly 2,250 Restaurants: More woes for the troubled burrito chain".
233. . (May 29, 2017). ["Chipotle's data breach affects customers nationwide"](https://www.marketplace.org/2017/05/29/business/chipotle-security-breach).
234. "Chipotle Mexican Grill Reports Findings from Investigation of Payment Card Security Incident". Chipotle Mexican Grill.
235. Schick, Shane. (June 1, 2017). "Chipotle Data Breach Investigation Shows Fraudsters Aimed at Endpoints".
236. Burlacu, Alexandra. (May 27, 2017). "Chipotle Data Breach Affected Most Restaurants: Hackers Stole Customers' Credit Card Information".
237. Miller, Blair. (May 19, 2017). "Class-action suit filed alleging Chipotle's 'elementary' security, negligence led to data breach".
238. . (July 20, 2017). ["Gainesville PD: Suspect used Chipotle data to steal $17K"](http://www.ocala.com/news/20170720/gainesville-pd-suspect-used-chipotle-data-to-steal-17k). *[[Ocala Star-Banner]]*.
239. Olenick, Doug. (July 21, 2017). "Chipotle data breach leads to illegal ATM withdrawal".
240. Whittaker, Zack. (April 17, 2019). "Chipotle customers are saying their accounts have been hacked". [[TechCrunch]].
241. TruȚĂ, Filip. (April 18, 2019). "Chipotle customers report fraudulent orders charged to their accounts". [[Bitdefender]].
242. (November 21, 2016). "Chipotle lawsuit claims false low calorie count made plaintiffs too full". San Diego Tribune.
243. (November 21, 2016). "Chipotle's '300-calorie burrito' left customer too full, and he's suing". USA Today.
244. (November 21, 2016). "'Excessively full' customer sues Chipotle, claiming it misstates nutritional facts". WPXI.
245. (January 27, 2020). "Chipotle fined $1.3 million for child labor violations in Mass.". The Boston Globe.
246. (January 27, 2020). "AG Healey, Chipotle Reach Nearly $2 Million Settlement to Resolve Child Labor and Earned Sick Time Violations".
247. (January 28, 2020). "Chipotle cited with 13,253 child labor law violations in Massachusetts".
248. (May 25, 2019). "How an internet mob falsely painted a Chipotle employee as racist". [[CNN]].
249. (2019-12-20). "Chipotle accused of violating US labor law on union organizing".
250. Lucas, Amelia. (June 23, 2022). "Chipotle restaurant in Maine becomes chain's first to file for union election".
251. WABI News Desk. (2022-11-04). "NLRB issues complaint ordering Chipotle to reopen closed Augusta store".
252. Lucas, Amelia. (August 25, 2022). "Chipotle restaurant in Michigan votes to unionize, in a first for the chain".
253. Rogers, Kate. (March 16, 2022). "Chipotle is testing a robot that makes tortilla chips — and its name is 'Chippy'".
254. Lucas, Amelia. (December 27, 2022). "Why restaurant chains are investing in robots and what it means for workers".
255. Elliott, Stuart. (April 5, 2010). "Chipotle Bites the Hand It Used to Feed". The New York Times.
256. Avila, Cindi. (February 13, 2012). "Chipotle airs new ad, steals Grammys spotlight". FOXnews.com.
257. (October 20, 2017). "Chipotle's $3 Halloween burrito deal is back and bigger than ever".
258. Adamy, Jane. (November 23, 2007). "Chain a natural success". [[The Wall Street Journal]].
259. . (December 23, 2005). ["Chipotle Mexican Grill SEC 2005 Filing"](http://www.secinfo.com/dVut2.zRuv.htm). *secinfo.com*.
260. . (October 6, 2010). ["Chipotle and Jamie Oliver Expose the Horrors of Processed Food This Halloween"](http://www.marketwatch.com/story/chipotle-and-jamie-oliver-expose-the-horrors-of-processed-food-this-halloween-2010-10-06?reflink=MW_news_stmp).
261. Clendaniel, Morgan. (October 12, 2011). "Karen O Joins Forces With Chipotle To Support American Farmers".
262. Horovitz, Bruce. (September 12, 2013). "Chipotle targets Big Food, skips big branding". [[USA Today]].
263. Roberts, Randall. (September 13, 2013). "Fiona Apple covers Willy Wonka in striking new Chipotle clip". [[Los Angeles Times]].
264. Vranica, Suzanne. (December 29, 2013). "The Best and Worst Ads of 2013". [[The Wall Street Journal]].
265. Hicks, L. Wayne. (September 2, 2011). "Chipotle's Farm Team grows customer loyalty". [[American City Business Journals#Denver Business Journal.
266. . (). ["Farm Team: Important Announcement"](https://www.chipotle.com/en-US/farm_team/farm_app_end.aspx). *Chipotle*.
267. Rogers, Neal. (November 25, 2008). "Garmin presents 2009 squad to packed house in Boulder". VeloNews.com.
268. Valentinsen, Thomas. (December 8, 2008). "Team Garmin-Chipotle Changes Name to Team Garmin-Slipstream; Announces New Anti-Doping Partner". Roadcycling.com.
269. . (October 23, 2009). ["Celtics team up with Chipotle Mexican Grill"](http://www.boston.com/business/ticker/2009/10/celtics_team_up.html). *[[The Boston Globe]]*.
270. . (November 11, 2009). ["Bruins and Chipotle Mexican Grill Announce Multi-year Partnership Agreement"](http://bruins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=505682).
271. Palmer, Alex. (June 13, 2009). "Chipotle Serves Free 'Food, Inc.' Screenings".
272. Stogel, Chuck. (May 12, 2009). "Chipotle Tells Consumers: Make Your Own".
273. Harden, Mark. (September 14, 2009). "Denton man wins Chipotle ad contest". Dallas Business Journal.
274. . (June 28, 2010). ["Chipotle turns junk mail into healthy alternatives with new campaign"](http://www.ricg.com/marketing_articles/creative_design/chipotle_turns_junk_mail_into_healthy_alternatives_with_new_campaign/). *RICG*.
275. Chris Neville. (August 20, 2014). "Merchants Of Soul: A Trip To Chipotle And Outside Lands With Spoon". [[Stereogum]].
276. (March 1, 2011). "Chipotle wraps burritos in gold".
277. Snipes, Cameron. (April 11, 2011). "Chipotle enlists Amy Sedaris for boost". Triangle Business Journal.
278. McCombs, Brady. (March 19, 2013). "Chipotle Pulls Boy Scout Event Sponsorship Over Gay Ban". Huffington Post.
279. (March 30, 2016). "NLRB Continues to Target Employers' Social Media Policies". Poyner Spruill LLP.
280. (March 31, 2016). "More Trouble for Chipotle: NLRB Rules Social Media Policy and Practice Unlawful". Michael Best & Friedrich LLP.
281. "Chipotle Rolls Out Gold Foil To Celebrate American Athletes In Tokyo". Chipotle Mexican Grill.
282. "'Roblox' Down: New Update Says It's Not Chipotle's Fault". Forbes.
283. (2023-02-16). "MoneyGram Haas F1 Team and Chipotle Mexican Grill announce new partnership {{!}} Haas F1 Team".
284. Ells, Steve. (September 21, 2007). "Fine Fast Food".
285. Sherman, Chris. (April 14, 2005). "Mexican food, fast and from scratch". [[Tampa Bay Times.
286. Chronister, Bill. (March 10, 2009). "New Powell Chipotle reflects chain's 'green' goal". [[The Columbus Dispatch]].
287. . (December 31, 2009). ["2009 Annual Report for Chipotle Mexican Grill"](http://phx.corporate-ir.net/External.File?item=UGFyZW50SUQ9NDA5NDR8Q2hpbGRJRD0tMXxUeXBlPTM=&t=1). *Chipotle*.
288. Bultema, Sarah. (October 17, 2010). "Loveland artist shapes the look of Chipotle restaurants worldwide". [[Reporter-Herald]].
289. Shoemaker-Galloway, Jace. (October 26, 2009). "Chipotle to Use Solar Power at 75 Restaurants". Triplepundit.
290. . (April 19, 2011). ["High Court leaves intact ruling against Chipotle"](http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_17877271). *[[The Denver Post]]*.
291. Porter, Jim. (September 16, 2010). "Jim Porter: Chipotle Mexican Grill violates ADA law". Sierra Sun.
292. Lucas, Amelia. (April 24, 2024). "Chipotle Does Away With Its Farmesa Fresh Eatery Concept". [[CNBC]].
293. Pankratz, Howard. (December 18, 2013). "Chipotle partners with Frasca co-founders to launch Pizzeria Locale". [[Denver Post]].
294. Zeppelin, Andra. (September 11, 2014). "Pizzeria Locale Highland Gets Ready to Open".
295. Vergara, Jenny. (July 27, 2015). "Pizzeria Locale Opens First Kansas City Location in Waldo".
296. Goldschmidt, Ben. (March 16, 2016). "Chipotle-backed pizzeria now open in Kenwood". [[Cincinnati Enquirer]].
297. Sexton, Josie. (June 27, 2018). "Pizzeria Locale Is Closing All Stores Outside of Colorado: Its backer, Chipotle, will close up to 65 underperforming stores in total".
298. Flood, Libby. (March 18, 2019). "Pizzeria Locale plans two new Denver locations after closing out-of-state restaurants last year".
299. Antonation, Mark. (December 9, 2019). "First New Denver Pizzeria Locale in Five Years Opens Today". [[Westword]].
300. Ritter, Cassidy. (February 5, 2020). "Three more 9th and Colorado retail tenants announced as apartment complex opens".
301. Antonation, Mark. (August 20, 2020). "Pizzeria Locale and Gelato Boy Open at 9th & Colorado Development". [[Westword]].
302. Lagatta, Eric. (July 6, 2023). "Chipotle-owned Pizzeria Locale, a build-your-own pizza chain, to close sites in Denver". [[USA Today]].
303. Lee, Dennis. (July 7, 2023). "Chipotle Closes a Pizza Chain You've Probably Never Heard Of". [[The Takeout (website).
304. Mordacq, Jessica. (December 22, 2022). "'I owe so much to that family': The story behind the name change of Boulder's Pizzeria Locale to Pizzeria Alberico". Boulder Reporting Lab.
305. Dean, Lee Svitak. (June 30, 2011). "Soul Daddy closes its final location at MOA". [[Star Tribune]].
306. Hatic, Dana. (March 9, 2017). "Chipotle Will Shut Down All ShopHouse Asian Kitchen Restaurants: All 15 locations will close on March 17".
307. Malone, JD. (October 26, 2016). "Chipotle's first Tasty Made burger restaurant opens Thursday in Lancaster". [[Columbus Dispatch]].
308. (July 28, 2016). "Chipotle's First Burger Restaurant to Open This Year in Ohio". [[Bloomberg News]].
309. Filloon, Whitney. (March 1, 2018). "Chipotle Abandons Its Burger Concept, Tasty Made: The company shuttered the lone Ohio location of its fast-food restaurant".