All articles tagged with #chipotle
Chipotle is piloting a crispy, breaded chicken protein at select California locations, offering it for burritos, bowls, tacos, and salads. Fans are eager for a nationwide rollout, though some worry the crunch could fade once wrapped or mixed with other ingredients.
A Washington, D.C. father tells 7News he shielded his children during a teen brawl inside a Chipotle, describing the moment as an ambush as bystanders and staff helped and police arrived to handle the incident.
Chipotle CEO Scott Boatwright urged customers to 'just ask' for more food, but a test across three California stores shows portion policy is uneven: extra non-premium items like rice, beans, cheese, salsa and lettuce are often free, while protein, guacamole, and queso usually incur surcharges; store discretion, stock levels, and manager decisions drive variation, making 'abundance' more of a sliding scale than a universal rule amid ongoing value concerns in fast-casual bowls.
Chipotle’s CEO says customers can always get larger portions by simply asking, pushing back against online chatter that portions are shrinking. The stance echoes past assurances from former CEO Niccol, even as social media debates persist. The story also notes a 2.5% year-over-year decline in Q4 2025 same-store sales and online complaints that asking for more can result in higher charges, highlighting ongoing concerns about value and brand perception.
Chipotle CEO Scott Boatwright told Yahoo Finance that customers can ‘just ask for more’ if bowls seem smaller, a reply that online and worker feedback says oversimplifies shrinkflation concerns and clashes with reports of pricing, staffing, and store practices—a PR moment that may not reflect frontline realities.
Chipotle reported Q1 2026 revenue of about $3.09 billion, up 7.4% year over year, with comparable restaurant sales up 0.5% as higher transactions offset a modest per-check decline. Operating margin fell to 12.9% and adjusted margin to 23.7% from a year earlier. Net income was $302.8 million ($0.23 per diluted share), with adjusted net income of $316.2 million ($0.24). The company opened 49 company-owned restaurants (42 with Chipotlanes) and digital sales accounted for 38.6% of revenue. Food, beverage and packaging costs rose, labor costs increased, and general and administrative expenses rose as well. Chipotle repurchased $701 million of stock in the quarter and maintained $1.0 billion of repurchase capacity. For 2026, management expects roughly flat comparable sales, 350–370 new openings (including 10–15 international), about 80% of company-owned restaurants with Chipotlanes, and a 24–26% underlying tax rate, as part of its Recipe for Growth strategy and leadership updates.
Chipotle delivered Q1 2026 revenue of $3.09B and adjusted EPS of 24 cents, with 0.5% same-store sales growth and 0.6% traffic gain, beating revenue expectations while net income fell to $302.8M due to higher taxes, wage costs and beef prices; the company also opened new stores to lift sales and kept its full-year same-store-sales guide flat, calling it conservative amid a volatile consumer backdrop, and named Fernando Machado as chief brand officer to bolster branding.
Chipotle brings back Burrito Vault with a Double Protein Edition and a prize pool topping $2 million, including free burritos for a year, BOGO entrees, and double-protein rewards. Rewards members guess hourly burrito-order codes from March 30–April 1 (9 a.m.–9 p.m. ET), with a Daily Double Protein Power Hour that doubles prize counts. The grand tempo culminates around National Burrito Day (April 2), which also features a $0 delivery fee on digital orders. Access the game via UnlockBurritoDay.com and enroll in Chipotle Rewards for entry.
Chipotle is offering a limited flash BOGO for customers with tattoos on Friday the 13th (3–4 PM). Qualifying tattoos can be permanent, temporary, or hand-drawn; up to five free items per check, with each free item equal or lesser in value than the purchased one; kids’ meals excluded.
The piece ranks Chipotle as the worst Mexican-style fast-food chain, citing past health violations that led to a $25 million fine, shrinking portion sizes that sparked online backlash, higher prices for extras like guacamole, and some unhealthy menu options, while noting newer Mexican-style chains are gaining ground.
Chipotle plans to lean into higher-income core customers after research found 60% of its core users earn more than $100,000 annually; the company expects 1-2% menu price increases to cover rising costs and is testing deals to re-engage younger and lower-income diners, while continuing to push its high-protein menu as a complement to existing orders.
Chipotle will give away up to $1 million in free entrées during the Super Bowl via a post-halftime Instagram Reels drop. The first 100,000 fans who text the code to 888222 will receive a free entrée (burrito, burrito bowl, salad, quesadilla or tacos) and the offer runs through February 12. The brand is also adding Game Day Nachos with customizable options on its app/website to coincide with the big game, while emphasizing real ingredients over AI ads in its marketing.
Chipotle forgoes a traditional in-game ad, releasing a one-time Instagram Reel after halftime called 'The Chipotle Realest 30' that unlocks up to $1 million in free entrées for the first 100,000 fans who text a code to 888222. The move highlights Chipotle's real-ingredients stance and runs alongside three Game Day Nacho Hacks (Feb 5–8) on the app/site, with Chicken al Pastor returning Feb 10 for a limited time. Free entrée codes are US-only and valid until 2/12/26.