Your favorite burrito spot is expanding at a rapid pace!
"This achievement is a testament to our phenomenal teams and their relentless pursuit of bringing Food with Integrity to more communities," said Brian Niccol, Chipotle's chairman and chief executive officer."We are thrilled to celebrate our 3,000th restaurant opening, and the progress we've made towards our goal of having 7,000 restaurants or more in North America."
The new restaurant brings the number of Chipotle's U.S. locations to 2,950, while the remaining 50 are scattered across Canada, U.K., France, and Germany. The company plans on adding another 235 to 250 restaurants to its global portfolio in 2022, which is even more ambitious than the 215 restaurants it opened last year.
About 80% of the new locations will feature a Chipotlane, which is at the core of the chain's expansion strategy.
While its 3,000th location opened its doors in a major city, Chipotle recently announced it is planning to expand to small towns to achieve its growth goals. "People want Chipotle in their towns. The landlords want Chipotle in their centers. And we just demonstrated now we also have the small-town opportunity to add to the Chipotlane opportunity," Niccol said, clarifying that"small town" for Chipotle means one with at least 40,000 residents.Mura is a Deputy Editor leading ETNT's coverage of America's favorite fast foods and restaurant chains.