Chipotle Gets Into Burger Business

Chipotle Mexican Grill will enter the burger market this fall with a limited-menu concept called Tasty Made. The first location will open this fall in Lancaster, Ohio. The menu will include burgers, fries, and shakes.

The Denver chain, still regaining its sales footing following E. coli outbreaks that affected its primary brand restaurants in 14 states, may find new energy expanding beyond its Mexican, pizza and Asian concepts. Chipotle also operates 14 ShopHouse restaurants that sell Southeast Asian food and is an investor in a wood-fire pizza chain called Pizzeria Locale.

Chipotle Founder and co-CEO Steve Ells cited inspiration from the focused menus found in the restaurants that pioneered quick-service chains. “We think there’s great strength in that original fast-food model and wanted to create a restaurant built around that. Making only burgers, fries and shakes with really great ingredients, we think we can appeal to peoples’ timeless love of burgers, but in a way that is consistent with our long-term vision.”

The company trademarked the Tasty Made name earlier this year; it had previously considered the moniker, “Better Burger.”