Chipotle Incorporated Plans to Expand to Mexico
by Allan Wall
Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. is a restaurant chain deriving its name from “chipotle”, a smoke-dried jalapeno chili pepper.
The corporation was founded by Steve Ells in 1993 in Denver, Colorado. It has done quite well, has several thousand restaurants and is now headquartered in California. Besides having restaurants in the United States, it has expanded to Canada, the UK, France, Germany, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.
Now the company has an ambitious plan of expanding to Mexico. But it might not be easy as one thinks for a U.S. Mexican restaurant chain to do so. Taco Bell tried it twice and failed.
NBC recently reported that Chipotle Inc. “has signed a development agreement with Alsea, which operates Latin American and European locations of Starbucks, Domino’s Pizza and Burger King, among other chains.”
The plan is to open a Chipotle in Mexico in 2026. Then the company would explore other “expansion markets in the region”.
According to NBC, “…U.S. interpretations of Mexican food don’t always resonate in the market; Yum Brands’ Taco Bell has twice attempted to expand into Mexico, but both efforts failed quickly.”
Is Chipotle going to be successful in Mexico? We have to wait and see.
by Allan Wall
Source: Mexico News Report
