Chipotle Mexican Grill Strategy Improvements

Chipotle Mexican Grill Strategy Improvements

Karla Diaz

St. Petersburg College, St. Petersburg, FL

Chipotle Mexican Grill Strategy Improvements

The fast-casual dining industry has expanded within recent years, but one sub-segment set for the largest growth is the fast-casual Mexican dining niche (LaVecchia, 2003). More recently, top competitors such as Chipotle Mexican Grill, Moe’s Southwest Grill, Taco Bell and Qdoba have invested valuable resources in separating themselves from their quick serve competitors. All of these companies present specific strategic strengths. However, the one factor they all have in common is the goal of being able to serve their customers quality food in a significantly reduce amount of time.

Case Analysis

Chipotle Mexican Grill’s strategy is to change the way people evaluate and consume fast food. This is accomplished by using high quality and organic ingredients (based on local availability), having open floor plans to include the kitchen, and serving customers quickly. Moe’s Southwest Grill’s strategy for growth is to divide the nation into separate tiers, and evaluate just how much growth they can pursue (Cebrzynski, 2008). Moe’s uses techniques such as promotional items, and rewards cards to launch the franchise. Taco Bell’s focus is menu expansion by changing the menu often. According to Hammer (2012) Taco Bell CEO Greg Creed stated, "Our customers told us they want a more relevant Taco Bell, and we've taken numerous steps focusing on our food and improving the customer experience.” Qdoba has their strategy set to become the most successful Mexican fast casual restaurant (Cavanaugh, 2002). They follow very closely to Chipotle in their operations.

Out of all these competitors, Chipotle’s strategy has proven to be a winner as it has allowed Chipotle to remain a top competitor and industry leader in the fast-casual marketplace. Their organic products have allowed them to stay on top of changes in America’s new healthy...