The fast-casual giant — the only restaurant company of its size that owns and operates all its restaurants — has opened its 500th location that features the brand’s digital order drive-thru pick-up lane (“Chipotlane”).
Located in Louisville, Kentucky, the restaurant also features a dining room and patio. Chipotle said it is building a real estate pipeline to accelerate new unit growth with an emphasis on Chipotlanes. Next year, the company plans to open in the region of 255 to 285 new restaurants, with at least 80 per cent including the digital order drive-thru lane.
Introduced in the US in early 2018, the format is designed to give customers and delivery drivers a fast and convenient experience. New restaurant openings that feature this digital order pick-up lane have demonstrated higher volumes and greater returns than a traditional Chipotle restaurant format, the company said.
“Chipotlanes are the digital drive thru of the future and a key piece of our growth strategy as we plan to more than double our restaurant count over the long term to achieve 7,000 restaurants or more in North America,” said Tabassum Zalotrawala, Chief Development Officer.
