Could burgers prove the savior of an embattled burrito behemoth? Chipotle is betting on it.
Recognizing America's terrifying lack of fast-food burger restaurants, the Mexican chain revealed yesterday that it had applied for a trademark for the name "Better Burger" as the first step towards opening a burger chain.
Chipotle spokesperson Chris Arnold offered a brief explanation: "We have two non-Chipotle growth seeds open now—ShopHouse and Pizzeria Locale—and have noted before that the Chipotle model could be applied to a wide variety of foods."
(Shophouse? Pizzeria Locale? Don't worry, we hadn't heard of these not-particularly-creatively-named ventures either. Shophouse—full name Shophouse Southeast Asian Kitchen—is a Chipotle-style fast-food restaurant serving Asian cuisine; it's been around in some form since 2011 and there are currently ten stores nationwide. Pizzeria Locale opened in 2013 in Colorado, where Chipotle is headquartered.)
How will Chipotle make its mark in a crowded burger market? Shake Shacks are spreading like wildfire; Wahlburgers just announced plans to open 118 restaurants; eventually, In and Out is going to have to cave and move East (right?). Is there really room for Chipotle burgers?
The clue to their approach—"the Chipotle model"—might be in the trademark: "Better burger." Chipotle's philosophy on Mexican food has always been to use organic produce, naturally reared meat and to go local where possible. It seems likely they would take a similar approach to sticking meat between buns.
The stakes are high for the beleaguered chain. In March, it was announced that heavy spending on damage control following the company's E.coli breakouts would see Chipotle its first ever quarterly loss as a public company.
Will burgers be enough to change the tide? They'd...better be.