Chipotle to open first digital-only restaurant as online orders soar



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A customer wearing a protective mask walks into a Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. restaurant in San Francisco, California. .

David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images

The Chipotle Mexican Grill will open its first digital-only restaurant on Saturday.

Unlike a traditional Chipotle location, it won’t include a dining area or order line. Customers should order in advance on Chipotle’s app, website or third-party delivery platforms.

The new restaurant design is aimed at urban areas, where real estate is more expensive and a full-size restaurant is not possible, but the first location will open in Highland, New York, just outside the gates of West Point.

The design will also accommodate large catering orders, which will have their own entrance and hall for pickup.

The coronavirus pandemic has sped up the shift for customers to ordering online, prompting Chipotle to try to make the experience as good as possible. In the third quarter, the company reported digital sales more than tripled, and CEO Brian Niccol said total digital orders could exceed $ 2.5 billion this year, more than double the total. last year.

The crisis and its shock to the restaurant industry prompted other companies to rethink their designs as well. Burger King and Shake Shack are among the restaurants that plan to add drive-through aisles for delivery drivers or online orders. Starbucks now plans to build more mobile cafes this year and in 2021 than previously thought.

Shares of Chipotle, which has a market value of $ 34.8 billion, are up 67% so far this year.

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