Introduction
The management of a company is the most important factor that determines its success. Flashing business headlines such as a newly established company stealing the market share of an old company makes it more interesting to learn about what the company is doing right. One example of a company that has been in the news due to its continuous success is Chipotle.
The purpose of this report is to present a case study on Chipotle. Various web and printed resources were used to compile this case study. The main focus of this paper is to use the different marketing concepts learned and apply them to get a deeper understanding of a specific company like Chipotle.
The different marketing concepts that can aid in understanding a company includes company overview, mission and vision, organizational environment, competitive advantage, corporate and business strategies, organizational structure, organizational culture, social responsibility, company policies and company leadership. These concepts will be used in the discussion of findings for this report.
Chipotle Mexican Grill
Company Overview
Chipotle is a combination of fast food and casual dining restaurant that serves Mexican food. Chipotle opened its first restaurant in 1993 in Denver Colorado. It was founded by its CEO Steve Ells. It currently has 1,600 locations in different parts of United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany and France. All of its restaurants are owned by the company. Chipotle has a Vancouver
Chipotle ventured into a new territory when it was created, as it had an innovative vision for fast-casual restaurants. By using fresh and quality ingredients, Chipotle raised the bar in their segment. The service line where customers could see their order being prepared enhanced the experience of Chipotle. Consumers who were used to eating at fast-casual restaurants where the food was frozen and made out of sight were able to savor the uniqueness of Chipotle. These differences helped Chipotle become successful. However, as competitors copy the traits that make Chipotle unique, Chipotle must adapt and overcome in order to remain a profitable company.
As demonstrated in Exhibit 1 on page 143, the company’s total revenue increased from $1.085.782 million dollars to $3.214.591 million dollars in less than seven years. Beginning at the end of 2007 through the end of 2013, Chipotle’s Mexican Grill total revenues increased at a CAGR of 19.83%. The new provided catering program, the six elements of their strategy adapted to other cuisines (ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen) and the growing number of new restaurants are decisive aspects in increasing revenue yearly.
Chipotle’s organizational structure is centered on the functional structure. The top levels of management include the co-CEOs, CFO, Head-Media Relations, and Chief Creative and Development Officer CCDO (Chipotle). Chipotle is a smaller corporation relative to its competitors, which allows it to focus on a vertical hierarchy based on functions. The fact that there are few departments demonstrates that Chipotle is still a growing corporation. Chipotle is a highly centralized corporation as all of its stores are corporate owned and they must follow the rules set by the corporate headquarters this involves the same menu throughout the country and the same prices. The restaurant business follows high levels of formalization a set of guidelines must be followed in order to comply with food and health regulations. There is low division of labor at the restaurant level as those cooking can shift to serving and cleaning when needed, allowing the allocation of labor to match whatever is needed in the situation. A unique aspect of Chipotle’s upper management is the fact that there are two CEOs (Feloni). The two CEO help ease job functions and enables them to be more accessible. Another managerial aspect of Chipotle is the through the position of restaurateur. There are 183 of these positions and they work to manage several Chipotles, bringing management close to each store (Investor’s Business Daily). From their organizational structure we can see they place high importance on
The company had run a national TV commercial which named “Back to the Start” during the Grammy Awards. Chipotle also had published their food, restaurant concept and business through favorable articles and television programs. Moreover, Chipotle used video and music programs as well as event strategy to attract the consumers’ attention to their restaurants. The company also initiated promotional activities via newly opened restaurants to attract more consumers. Chipotle introduced a reward program, the “Farm Team” to encourage more customers to join a program that educated them something related to Chipotle Mexican Grill business concept. In addition, the word-of-mouth publicity from customers enable Chipotle to reduce the cost of advertising but at the same time increasing the brand reputation of the restaurants in the
Chipotle Mexican Grill is one the fastest growing restaurant businesses in the United States. Chipotle Mexican Grill was founded by the current CEO, Steve Ells, in 1993. Chipotle headquarters are located at 1401 Wynkoop Street, Denver, Colorado 80202. The company operates in the restaurant industry and more specifically the fast casual Mexican restaurant market.
Based on my experience as a customer at Chipotle, their organizational culture is centered on high quality products and enjoyable customer service. Chipotle’s artifacts can be seen throughout their store and in their products. They deliver high-grade good in a clean and friendly atmosphere. The posters within the store
When Chipotle opened its first store in 1993, the idea was simple: demonstrate that food served fast didn 't have to be a "fast-food" experience (Chipotle.com, 2010). Chipotle uses high-quality raw ingredients, classic cooking methods and a distinctive interior
Chipotle has opened their stores in few countries such as the UK, the US, Canada, Germany and France. It is now time for the corporation to follow the lead from other companies like Yum. Brands such as KFC and Taco Bell as well as McDonalds expand their footprint in the Asian market like Japan. For example, Chipotle operates less than 2,000 restaurants in only 5 countries, while McDonalds operates more than 35,000 restaurants in 119 countries, and Taco Bell, another Mexican restaurant, operates 6,500 restaurants in 20 countries which shows that the Chipotle could do better if it expands its business.
Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) was founded in Denver, Colorado in 1993. It began when American’s were visiting fast food chains on a much more regular basis than in years past. Places like McDonald’s, Burger King, and Taco Bell initially seemed to be competition for Chipotle. However, a recent shift towards healthy eating, organic produce, and grass-fed meats has shifted the favor towards Chipotle. At the end of 2015, Chipotle Mexican Grill owned and operated 1,971 locations in the United States alone. CMG also owns and operates thirteen ShopHouse Southeast Asia chains along with being an investor in three Pizzeria Locale restaurants.
This paper explores the mission, vision, values and principles of Chipotle Mexican Grill that guide them in the restaurant industry. Their key mission, vision, and values revolve around providing food with integrity and changing the way people think about and eat fast food. Chipotle’s principles include sticking to the basics of a simple menu and uncomplicated, interactive employee roles.
The Chipotle Mexican Grille opened its first store in 1993 beginning a new category in the restaurant industry known as “fast casual” (About Us, 2014). This new category featured the “highest quality raw ingredients, classic cooking methods, and distinctive interior design-features that are more frequently found in the world of fine dining.” However, aside from the normally long wait in lines, an order could be taken and served in only a couple minutes. Currently Chipotle operates more than 1,500 restaurants internationally. The following pages will present a balanced approach to the effectiveness of Chipotle’s strategy analyzing financial performance, customer satisfaction, employee/learning and growth, and internal process.
Chipotle Mexican Grill was a concept turned reality by a gentleman by the name of Steve Ells. Chipotle Mexican Grill provides excellent Mexican cuisine driven by a concept of “Food with Integrity”. The first chipotle Mexican grill was opened in 1993 in Denver Colorado. By the end of 1995 there were three. In 1996 alone, Steve Ells opened five more Denver-area restaurants growing by a total of eight stores in three years. By 1998 Chipotle Mexican Grill was showing much promise. In order to meet their growth needs Chipotle took on outside investors.
Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. is a “fast-food service restaurant” under limited service category. It was formed in 1993 and went public in 2006. It has the largest market share in the Mexican-type food segment with a net income of more than
Chipotle’s competitive strategy is to use a focus differentiation strategy by aiming to target a narrow market. Chipotle wants to set itself apart from other fast food establishments by targeting a narrower market of consumers looking for variation among product choices. Chipotle uses a focus differentiation strategy through its’ “Food with Integrity” philosophy. Chipotle is focused on serving organic ingredients to deliver the best taste, nutrition, and value. The direct competitors of Chipotle are Panda Restaurant Group, Qdoba Restaurant Corporation, and Taco Bell Corporation.
Chipotle first opened in Denver in 1993 with a simple idea behind it, “food served fast didn’t have to be “fast-food” experience”, (Chipotle Mexican Grill, 2015). Prior to CEO Steve Ellis opening the restaurant chain, he himself was a chef. Since its creation, Chipotle has become a phenomenon in the restaurant industry and has experienced tremendous growth since it went public in 2006 with over 1,600 restaurants in Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, and France, with the majority located in the United States (Chipotle Mexican Grill, 2015).