The Associated Press reports that Chipotle, still reeling from the impact of a series of food safety issues that caused many customers to cut back on how often they patronized the burrito chain that claimed to specialize in food with integrity, plans to open the first in what hopes will be a chain of burger restaurants.
The story says that Chipotle's first Tasty Made burger restaurant, limited to burgers, fries and milkshakes, will open this fall in Lancaster, Ohio.
The AP writes that "after filing a trademark application for 'Better Burger' earlier this year, Chipotle had noted that it previously said the 'Chipotle model' could be applied to a wide variety of foods. Already, the company has an Asian food concept called ShopHouse, which lists 15 locations, and a pizza concept called Pizzeria Locale, which lists five locations."
The story says that Chipotle's first Tasty Made burger restaurant, limited to burgers, fries and milkshakes, will open this fall in Lancaster, Ohio.
The AP writes that "after filing a trademark application for 'Better Burger' earlier this year, Chipotle had noted that it previously said the 'Chipotle model' could be applied to a wide variety of foods. Already, the company has an Asian food concept called ShopHouse, which lists 15 locations, and a pizza concept called Pizzeria Locale, which lists five locations."
- KC's View:
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The AP story suggests that if the new concept gets traction, it could compete with McDonald's, which used to own a piece of Chipotle. However, it almost sounds to me like it may be trying to create an In-N-Out sort of model in an area of country that does not have In-N-Out.
The additional question is whether the consumer reticence about Chipotle adheres in any way to a new chain operated by the company.
