Even though there are more than 1700 Chipotle locations around United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, all of Chipotle's restaurants are company-owned, rather than franchised. Chipotle insisting on company-owned is an effective way to take control easily and ensure the high quality of food products. This is seen as a smart move because experienced individuals run all of the restaurants.
6. Strong environmentally conscious.
Chipotle uses environmentally friendly packaging, with bowls made from recycled newsprint, unbleached tray liners, and napkins and cups made from post consumer waste. The issue of environmental protection gets more and more social noticed. What Chipotle do has left a positive impression to common.
Weaknesses
1. Limited variety of menu items “Quick-service restaurants offer a limited variety of menu items. “Chipotle is a fast casual dining restaurant that mainly serves Mexican-inspired foods such as tacos and burritos. There are only a few items on Chipotle’s menu, which is a negative downfall especially when other fast food restaurants have more variety including different meals, soups, sandwiches and other value menu that Chipotle does not offer. When asked in 2007 about expanding the menu, Steve Ells said, "it'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."
The company is driven by a strong set of values, even if some of those decisions increase its costs internally. This is especially the case with the sourcing of its ingredients and meats. In fact, the high-quality ingredients and advanced cooking methods used by Chipotle are second to no other fast-food chain. Among recent developments, the leader in fast-casual dining concepts plans to become absolutely GMO-free by the end of 2014. Although the aim is not new, it shows Chipotle’s commitment to bring fresh ingredients to the table. Besides offering high-quality meals to its customers, the portions are generously sized and the value is unmatched. There are very few places that can fill you up for less that $10 with quality food, and not junk. The triad of fresh, pure ingredients, cutting-edge cooking methods, and tremendous portions gives Chipotle a mouthwatering appeal.
Chipotle Mexican Grill originated in Denver, Colorado in 1993. In 1998, McDonald’s became the majority shareholder; however, in 2006, McDonald’s divested its controlling interest. Chipotle became a public company listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2006. It currently has 1,083 locations across the United States and Canada. In May 2010, Chipotle expanded into Europe, opening their first restaurant in the United Kingdom. (Form 10-K Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc., 2011)
In recent years, it is not even necessary to turn on the news to hear about the bad reputation farming has been getting in recent years. With the media focusing on things like drugs in animals and Pink Slime, or Lean Finely Textured Beef, it is a wonder that people are eating “non-organic” foods. However, many pro-farming organizations have been trying to fight back against these slanders. Still, the battle is not without heavy competition, and a good portion of it comes from Chipotle, a fast food Mexican restaurant that claims to only use completely organic ingredients in their food. Chipotle is constantly introducing advertisements claiming to have the natural ingredients, while slandering the names of farmers everywhere.
Chipotles has taken the market share during their launch of the new Vegan option. “Chipotle Mexican Grill introduced Sofritas, the first vegan meal offered by a national fast food chain that's not a salad or a veggie burger.” (Neporent, 2013). Taco Bell and Chipotle share the same market share, and there is a potential that
Operations: Chipotle has set standards from when the food is bought, to when it's produced and to when it's sold. This quality control is performed by their Quality Assurance group, which foresees all of these positions.
Chipotle Mexican Grill is one of the most popular Mexican restaurants in the United States, which offers burritos, bowls, tacos, and salads. It is one of my favorite restaurants to visit.
Chipotle is my favorite place to eat. As I am sure it is for other people. Chipotle is a fast food Mexican grill. They are most known for how big they make your burritos. Now it is fast food but it isn’t actually fast, they’re like a restaurant but without the wait. They serve all naturally raised meat and organic beans. So there food is pretty healthy and worth eating. The employees are always nice and it just a great place to eat over all. Chipotle is a great choice for a quick fast food stop because it gives great service, atmosphere, food and value. My experience there is always a good one.
Steve Ells founded Chipotle in 1994. When the company first opened its first restaurant, their model of business was a first of its kind. They operated a restaurant business that lies between fast food restaurant and fine dining. The management of the company pride in providing the customers with food services in a fast manner without necessarily the customers experiencing the literal fast food services experience (Ragas & Roberts, 2015). According to the company, their services are high-quality fine dining but delivered in a fast manner synonymous with the common fast-food experience. That model of business practiced by Chipotle has come to be referred as casual restaurant business model.
Chipotle competitive advantage or Strengths has come from the ingredients that come from sustainable sources. According to the MarketLine article about Chipotle Mexican Grill SWOT analysis "Chipotle serves food using naturally raised meat (pork, beef and chicken) and dairy cattle... in 2014 the company served over 155 million pounds of naturally raised meat." Chipotle cares for their customers because they are not giving us food that has hormones and addictive substances. Their competitive advantage has changed the company culture and mission Statement nowadays they called it now food with integrity, the idea that their food is made with the respect for the animals and the
Chipotle Mexican Grill idea of providing quality in a simple menu with high-quality ingredients, classic cooking techniques and a distinctive interior design has remained at the core of the commitment. Chipotle ability to serve a menu that focuses only on servicing burritos, burrito bowls, tacos and salads is a success. Customers can mix and match their options even though they are only limited to meats, beans, rice, salsa and topping. These ingredients are mostly organically grown from local farmers to provide top-quality nutrition and value. To keep up the quality of their food, Chipotle food preparation remains fundamental. It is mainly prepared from scratch and on site but some preparations are completed at nearby commissaries. This contributes to their fresh taste.
As you know, Chipotle values our “food with integrity” promise and our customers respect that. However, the recent E Coli outbreak has caused Chipotle’s financial performance and reputation to suffer significantly and staying with our current business model is not our best option. Therefore, I recommend we rebrand and reposition Chipotle to ensure our long-term success.
When Chipotle first opened in 1993, the goal was to serve quality food fast, but not be considered “fast food.” To avoid falling under the fast food stigma, Chipotle strives to find the best ingredients with respect to animals, farmers, and the environment. In order to achieve these goals, Chipotle has created a matrix organizational structure that is divisional by location and functional by authority. Chipotle recently expanded internationally to the United Kingdom, Germany, and France, each following strict guidelines assigned by corporate employees from their headquarters in Denver, Colorado. Similarly, each location is functionally organized according to authority: regional manager, district manager, store manager, assistant manager, and
Chipotle has grown to become a leader in the fast food arena. According to Our Company,
Control systems – Costco has an Enterprise Facility Information management system, each Costco is connected to corporate, the EFIM provides real-time information, management of control systems (like energy), and an inventory management system that allows suppliers to monitor their own stock levels at any Costco. The EFIM reduces costs related to energy consumption, maintenance, and contracted services
o Having friendly people take care of customers. o All while increasing awareness and respect for the environment, by using organically grown fresh produce, and meats raised in a humane manner without hormones and antibiotics. Maintaining a limited menu allows Chipotle to focus on the quality of the products offered and create personalized dishes for their customers. The serving area is set up much like a buffet line, allowing customers to choose what items they want to include in their meals and are served instantly after completing their order.