CHIPOTLE is continuing to make updates this summer for improved efficiency and customer satisfaction.
The fast food chain has made several notable tech additions in recent years to that end, including a robot in the kitchen.
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During an earnings call on Wednesday, CEO Scott Boatwright noted that more fresh equipment would be on the way to Chipotle’s over 3,700 locations nationwide.
This includes a three-pan rice cooker, high-capacity fryer, and dual-sided plancha grill, all to create more consistency and quality, along with faster preparation, for consumers.
Boatwright confirmed that the equipment would be sent out in several stages.
That means only a few hundred Chipotle restaurants will have the items by the end of 2025, including some of the new restaurants being opened.
Overall, it will take around three years for every Chipotle in the US to have the equipment fully implemented.
The CEO emphasized that the new equipment package would not only help standard operations but could also “unlock additional growth platforms for our business, like catering.”
Chipotle hasn’t gone all-in on catering just yet, but it could help boost less than stellar sales as of recent.
A second quarter earnings report cited a 4% decrease in same-store sales this year.
TESTS PLANNED
The fast food giant plans to test catering at about 60 locations for the time being, according to Boatwright.
Tests will include the new equipment to “expedite prep and increase capacity,” along with some updated software to better manage orders.
Chipotle also plans to create a marketing initiative around catering.
“Our goal is to scale the catering business within our restaurants without disrupting the core operations,” Boatwright told investors.
“With catering at just about 1% to 2% of sales versus our peers, who are at 5% to 10%, we think this could be a big opportunity longer term.”
Produce slicers have also been a new equipment addition at Chipotle, something that the CEO said helped “really make sure that we’re [getting] everything done at prep,” so employees can take meal breaks and be “fully deployed at lunch.”
Fast Food meal deals
Here are some of the current value meals offered by popular fast food joints.
Taco Bell’s $7 Luxe Cravings Box:
- Chalupa Supreme
- Beefy Five-Layer Burrito
- Double Stacked Taco
- Chips and nacho cheese sauce
- Medium drink
McDonald’s $5 Meal Deal:
- McDouble or McChicken sandwich
- Four-piece Chicken McNuggets
- Small fries
- Small soft drink
Wendy’s $5 Biggie Bag:
- Junior Bacon Cheeseburger or Crispy Chicken Sandwich
- Four-piece chicken nuggets
- Junior fries
- Small soft drink
Burger King’s $5 Your Way Meal:
- Whopper Junior, Chicken Junior, or Bacon Cheeseburger
- Fries
- Four-piece chicken nuggets
- Soft drink
New equipment investments are projected to save labor by about two or three hours every week, or 3% in labor cost savings for he brand, according to what BTIG analyst Peter Saleh told Restaurant Dive.
“We expect these investments to help drive margin improvement, consistency and speed of service,” Saleh wrote in an email.
“Recall that the dual-sided grill cuts cook times by nearly 70%, cooking chicken (60% of entrees) in 4 minutes vs. 12 previously.”
ROBO-EMPLOYEE
Of the most popular equipment additions to save employees time is Autocado, Chipotle’s helper robot that cuts, cores, and peels avocados.
The remainder is then hand-mashed by employees to create its signature guacamole served to customers daily.
Autocado was first introduced last September with two machines placed at California-based restaurants.
Chipotle reported that Autocado can cut, core, and peel avocados in an average of 26 seconds, reducing the time it takes to make guacamole by about 50%.
TAKEN AWAY?
Except, in an exclusive comment to The US Sun in January, Chipotle revealed that Autocado was removed, as the chain was “optimizing” the robot.
“After testing the devices in Orange County, Calif. restaurants for nearly two months and gathering valuable insights from our crew members, we’ve moved the device back to the Chipotle Cultivate Center in Irvine, CA, to explore process optimizations as part of our stage-gate process,” a spokesperson said.
Autocado is also the second robot tested by Chipotle.
First came Chippy, a different bot to automate tortilla chips.
A Chipotle diner was also left confused recently after spotting a mysterious price difference for nearly the exact same order.
In June, a Chipotle staffer also slammed the brand’s first-of-its-kind dip, arguing that it tasted “fake” and demanding a recipe change.
