Chipotle Mexican Grill Case Study
Chipotle Mexican Grill Strategy Improvements
Karla Diaz
St. Petersburg College, St. Petersburg, FL
Chipotle Mexican Grill Strategy Improvements The fast-casual dining industry has expanded within recent years, but one sub-segment set for the largest growth is the fast-casual Mexican dining niche (LaVecchia, 2003). More recently, top competitors such as Chipotle Mexican Grill, Moe’s Southwest Grill, Taco Bell and Qdoba have invested valuable resources in separating themselves from their quick serve competitors. All of these companies present specific strategic strengths. However, the one factor they all have in common is the goal of being able to serve their customers quality food in a significantly reduce amount of time. …show more content…
Even though Chipotle has a winning strategy there are additional recommendations that can be given for them to launch their company further. The first recommendation would be to have more promotions, discounts and rewards cards. This would not only allow for more new and repeat customers into their locations, but would also help in getting Chipotle’s name more recognizable. This would work especially well in college towns and heavily populated areas. The second recommendation would be to increase the amount of toppings available making their foods more customizable. Additional topping options that should be included are tomatoes, jalapenos, brown rice, mushrooms and black olives which will extend the variety of combinations they can offer. Due to the fact Chipotle obtains most of its foods from organic wholesalers they could work with these wholesalers to obtain these additional items when feasible. Third, expanding their menu to include additional options with ingredients they already have would make them more appealing. Such menu additions can be things like quesadillas and nachos. All of the fillings and equipment to make these options are in the restaurants. The only thing that would be an added cost would be the chips for the nachos. These recommendations will allow Chipotle to expand their strategic advantage and edge out their fierce …show more content…
The ability for a new company to enter the market may not be easy due to the volatility to launch a profitable business in the current market. However, the fact that fast-casual dining is increasing does make this a moderate force to watch out for. Finally, firms in other industries are starting to offer menu items similar to Chipotle. Restaurants like Chile’s and Applebee’s offer quesadillas and rice bowls. A recommendation for Chipotle on both of these factors would be to make their brand more recognizable. This can be achieved with more promotional offering and increased advertising. The greater the market share they can capture the greater the revenues they would be able receive and invest in other
Karla Diaz
St. Petersburg College, St. Petersburg, FL
Chipotle Mexican Grill Strategy Improvements The fast-casual dining industry has expanded within recent years, but one sub-segment set for the largest growth is the fast-casual Mexican dining niche (LaVecchia, 2003). More recently, top competitors such as Chipotle Mexican Grill, Moe’s Southwest Grill, Taco Bell and Qdoba have invested valuable resources in separating themselves from their quick serve competitors. All of these companies present specific strategic strengths. However, the one factor they all have in common is the goal of being able to serve their customers quality food in a significantly reduce amount of time. …show more content…
Even though Chipotle has a winning strategy there are additional recommendations that can be given for them to launch their company further. The first recommendation would be to have more promotions, discounts and rewards cards. This would not only allow for more new and repeat customers into their locations, but would also help in getting Chipotle’s name more recognizable. This would work especially well in college towns and heavily populated areas. The second recommendation would be to increase the amount of toppings available making their foods more customizable. Additional topping options that should be included are tomatoes, jalapenos, brown rice, mushrooms and black olives which will extend the variety of combinations they can offer. Due to the fact Chipotle obtains most of its foods from organic wholesalers they could work with these wholesalers to obtain these additional items when feasible. Third, expanding their menu to include additional options with ingredients they already have would make them more appealing. Such menu additions can be things like quesadillas and nachos. All of the fillings and equipment to make these options are in the restaurants. The only thing that would be an added cost would be the chips for the nachos. These recommendations will allow Chipotle to expand their strategic advantage and edge out their fierce …show more content…
The ability for a new company to enter the market may not be easy due to the volatility to launch a profitable business in the current market. However, the fact that fast-casual dining is increasing does make this a moderate force to watch out for. Finally, firms in other industries are starting to offer menu items similar to Chipotle. Restaurants like Chile’s and Applebee’s offer quesadillas and rice bowls. A recommendation for Chipotle on both of these factors would be to make their brand more recognizable. This can be achieved with more promotional offering and increased advertising. The greater the market share they can capture the greater the revenues they would be able receive and invest in other