---
title: "Chipotle Debuts New Restaurant Design To Support Its $1 Billion Digital Business"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/b73e6d51-a62a-4ab7-b882-712daaa0aa64
source: "Franchising.com"
original_url: https://www.franchising.com/news/20191219_chipotle_debuts_new_restaurant_design_to_support_i.html
category: "Mexican"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Mexican"
topics: ["Development & multi-unit","Technology"]
published: 2019-12-19T12:00:00.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T04:09:46.796Z
image: https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1504674900247-0877df9cc836?w=1600&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop
---

# Chipotle Debuts New Restaurant Design To Support Its $1 Billion Digital Business

**TL;DR:** Chipotle Mexican Grill is testing a new restaurant design to support its $1 billion digital business. The design features walk-up windows, digital pick-up portals, and open views into the kitchen to increase convenience and transparency.

*originally published in Franchising.com on 2019-12-19. [Read the original](https://www.franchising.com/news/20191219_chipotle_debuts_new_restaurant_design_to_support_i.html).*

## Story

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., Dec. 19, 2019 // PRNewswire // - Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) announced today that it's testing a new restaurant design to better support its billion-dollar digital business.

The evolved design will be trialed in four new restaurants of the following types: an urban store front, a standalone restaurant with a Chipotlane and an endcap unit with a Chipotlane, in Chicago, Cincinnati, and two locations in Phoenix. Additionally, the new restaurant design will be trialed in two retrofits in Newport Beach and San Diego. As part of its stage gate process, Chipotle will assess the performance of each restaurant for transactions, guest feedback, and ability to incorporate future menu innovations, among other metrics, before determining which design will roll out nationally.

Chipotle announced today that it’s testing a new restaurant design to better support its billion-dollar digital business.

With Chipotle's digital business increasing in size to $1 billion dollars, new in-restaurant features are being installed to help reduce friction and increase convenience for customers and delivery drivers alike. Walk-up windows and premium placement for digital built in pick-up portals will allow customers to receive their food more efficiently than ever.

"By better suiting our restaurants to accommodate the digital business, we're able to finalize orders more effectively and provide a better overall experience for our guests," said Curt Garner, Chief Technology Officer.

The new restaurant design will emulate Chipotle's commitment to transparency. Open views and front row seating provide direct lines of sight into the kitchen, where crew members hand prepare fresh food with real ingredients every day. The openness of this design will aim to increase communication and foster a sense of community with the restaurants. Additionally, bottled beverages will be more accessible with a customer-facing reach in cooler built into the serving line.

"While we are staying true to Chipotle's heritage, we are also excited to integrate new, innovative physical features into the restaurant that complement our growing digital business," said Tabassum Zalotrawala, Chief Development Officer of Chipotle. "Our eco-friendly, natural aesthetic and locally sourced approach to this design builds on our strong brand values and mission of cultivating a better world."

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE: CMG) is cultivating a better world by serving responsibly sourced, classically-cooked, real food with wholesome ingredients without artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. Chipotle had over 2,500 restaurants as of September 30, 2019, in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Germany and is the only restaurant company of its size that owns and operates all its restaurants.

The evolved design will be trialed in four new restaurants of the following types: an urban store front, a standalone restaurant with a Chipotlane and an endcap unit with a Chipotlane, in Chicago, Cincinnati, and two locations in Phoenix.

## Entities

- Franchising.com (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- brand expansion (topic)
- menu innovation (topic)
- customer experience (topic)
- Chicago (location)
- Phoenix (location)
- cincinnati (location)
- restaurant design (topic)
- Chipotle Mexican Grill (company)
- Curt Garner (person)
- digital business (topic)

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Originally reported by Franchising.com (https://www.franchising.com/news/20191219_chipotle_debuts_new_restaurant_design_to_support_i.html). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/b73e6d51-a62a-4ab7-b882-712daaa0aa64).