--- title: "Chipotle is Gaining Some of its Value Mojo Back" url: https://burnaze.com/article/1cee9726-d684-4ebc-9583-57946e3b9619 source: "QSR Magazine" original_url: https://www.qsrmagazine.com/story/chipotle-is-gaining-some-of-its-value-mojo-back/ author: "Danny Klein" category: "Mexican" industry: "Restaurants" segment: "Mexican" published: 2026-07-21T16:31:32.000Z modified: 2026-10-31T13:17:51.711Z image: https://www.qsrmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/WB1.png --- # Chipotle is Gaining Some of its Value Mojo Back **TL;DR:** Chipotle is gaining value with 70% of brands ranking modestly above average, according to a survey by William Blair. The survey found that consumers continued to rank the value of restaurants modestly above average, with Chipotle, Black Rock, and El Pollo Loco experiencing sequential improvement. *By Danny Klein, originally published in QSR Magazine on 2026-07-21. [Read the original](https://www.qsrmagazine.com/story/chipotle-is-gaining-some-of-its-value-mojo-back/).* ## Story For 15th quarters, William Blair has tracked restaurant engagement and value (check out the last one here). It’s been a chaotic line at times, with guests pulling back over price and shifting toward digital options, then feeling some tech fatigue, and moving up and down the perception ladder when it comes to certain brands. Before diving into trends from the most recent edition, released this week, let’s turn to concept rankings. The percentage of respondents “eating out more often than last year” from the roughly 500 guests surveyed by William Blair outpaced those eating out less often at half the brands in its coverage zone. The gap was most favorable at Black Rock Coffee Bar, Kura Sushi, and Starbucks. For the chains where “eating out less often than last year” outstripped those eating out more often, The Cheesecake Factory had the most unfavorable gap, followed by Dave & Buster’s and Shake Shack. Sequentially, every concept in William Blair’s orbit experienced an increase in eating out more often except Wingstop and Cheesecake Factory (flat in the latter’s case), led by improvement at Chipotle, Shake Shack, and Portillo’s. As for why respondents are staying home, “too expensive” topped the list (cited at more than 70 percent). Next was “inconvenient” (BJ’s, Black Rock, Dave & Buster’s, and Portillo’s). “Financial reasons” was the least-circled reason. That’s a dynamic you often see in a high-cost retail landscape—consumers not exactly trimming spend per visit but being more selective in where they place dispensable income. A brand can become “too expensive” when measured against other options when frequency is on the decline. Consumers continued to rank the value of these restaurants modestly above average at 3.3 (out of 5). Cheesecake Factory led on an absolute basis for perception, just as it did last quarter. Chipotle, Wingstop, and Black Rock trailed. Seventy percent of brands experienced sequential improvement, paced by Black Rock, Chipotle, and El Pollo Loco. Portillo’s and CAVA slipped. ## Survey comparison ***HOW THIS COMPARES TO THE LAST SURVEY*** It appears Chipotle is working its way back after facing down this angle in recent quarters. Returning to larger observations, overall engagement picked up slightly sequentially. Eighty-six percent of respondents said they were eating at restaurants at least a few times per month in June (up from 81 percent in March, but down from 93 percent in the prior-year survey). The percentage dining out at least a few times a week also increased. That rose 52 percent (compared to 47 percent in the last edition), and the percentage dining out a few times a year or less fell to 14 percent (slide from 19 percent). Despite an engagement uptick, William Blair explained, estimated spending per respondent backtracked roughly 15 percent, year-over-year. As we’ll discuss shortly. Reported restaurant interactions were in line with March’s survey (this latest edition was conducted in mid-June). People once again estimated 15 interactions per month, a bump from 13 last year. This supports William Blair’s ongoing hypothesis COVID-19 structurally changed guest behavior. Off-premises eating now accounts for 61 percent of interactions, and 50 percent of respondents said they order more delivery/takeout relative to 2019. However, it is worth noting it’s a boom that’s settled somewhat. Last year, the figure was 59 percent. And along that line of thought, the number of active loyalty program participants ticked down again. Sixty-five percent of consumers said they were actively participating in one, compared to 71 percent in March and 83 percent in December. Programs remain more popular among respondents under the age of 60 (75 percent using them versus 42 percent over). Still, even with a sequential decline in usage, they continue to be at least somewhat influential on eating decisions for the polled majority (67 percent). ## Ordering methods The most prevalent ordering methods in the quarter varied between takeout and delivery. For the former, 38 percent of respondents said they place orders directly through a restaurant’s website or digital app, replacing in-person or over the phone as the top choice (35 percent). Akins to past surveys, third-party marketplaces were the top pick for delivery, with 38 percent tapping it as their most prevalent method. The majority of respondents remained comfortable with QR codes and in-store kiosks. Yet, to the earlier mention of “fatigue,” a portion of consumers continue to express a preference for human interaction. This quarter, 59 percent said they were fine using QR codes to order and pay for food (up a bit from 56 percent in March). And 73 percent added they were OK accessing in-store kiosks (that was 68 percent in March). William Blair feels kiosks could serve as a meaningful lever in driving more digital interactions and increased operational efficiency over time. It’s a rolling sentiment that hasn’t changed. Consumer acceptance of bill surcharges appears to be growing, too. Only 23 percent of respondents said they’d avoid restaurants that administer them (down from 27 percent in the past survey). Acceptance by attrition perhaps. ## Operator implications So, what does this mean for operators? Average monthly spending in the survey fell 15 percent, year-over-year, marking a reversal of higher year-over-year spending trends over the prior three quarters, and with the percentage of respondents spending less than 2025 up a percentage point sequentially to 57 percent on increased check management. Unpacking this movement, the percentage of respondents ordering either a few times a week or daily was 61 percent for people under 60 versus 34 percent for over. There was also a clear correlation to income metrics, with 67 percent of consumers earning more than $100,000 ordering a few times a week or daily. It was 41 percent under $50,000. Respondents reported average monthly spend of $210, up 6 percent on a sequential basis but down 15 percent from year-ago levels following three consecutive quarters of year-over-year gains. Spending slid year-over-year across all cohorts excepts those with annual takes of $75,000–$100,000 and people over 60. Spending was down slightly for 18–29-year-olds. Similar to last quarter, in-person was the most common form of occasion (average of roughly 5.8 days per month). That surpassed the drive-thru (3.6 days), takeout (3.2 days), and delivery (2.4 days). Compared to pre-pandemic quarters, about 50 percent of respondents indicated their frequency of ordering delivery and/or takeout has increased (as noted before), including 25 percent who said there’s been a significant jump. Twenty-nine percent claimed it had not changed. Twenty-one percent noted a decrease. Regarding takeout, ordering through a restaurant’s digital website or app was the most prevalent method for guests under 60 (42 percent), while those over 60 preferred in-person or over the phone (59 percent). And with delivery, like takeout, ordering method choices diverged by group. Under the age of 60, respondents leaned toward third-party (47 percent), followed by direct (30 percent). However, for diners over 60, the top method was, again, via the phone or in-person (52 percent), followed by direct (22 percent) and third-party (18 percent). Overall, for consumers tapping delivery or takeout, the most frequently selected reasons were convenience and time constraints (61 percent). Preference not to cook (32 percent) and a perception that restaurant food is cheaper than buying groceries and cooking (23 percent) followed. While at a restaurant, 59 percent of respondents said they were comfortable using QR codes over a mobile device to order/pay. The proportion was lower for customers over 60 (30 percent). When asked about kiosks, 73 percent said they were OK using them to navigate the menu, order, and pay for food in-store. This quarter also saw a preference for ordering via digital channels accelerate slightly. William Blair expects, as restaurant engagements trend upward, QR codes and/or kiosks may continue to become more common. In turn, technology companies could see a boost from the loftier volume ## Entities - QSR (sector) - QSR Magazine (publication) - Starbucks (company) - Chipotle (company) - Wingstop (company) - Danny Klein (person) - Shake Shack (company) - El Pollo Loco (company) - digital ordering (topic) - CAVA (company) - consumer spending (topic) - The Cheesecake Factory (company) --- Originally reported by Danny Klein, QSR Magazine (https://www.qsrmagazine.com/story/chipotle-is-gaining-some-of-its-value-mojo-back/). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/1cee9726-d684-4ebc-9583-57946e3b9619).