Chipotle is still on the gas as it opens its 500th restaurant with a Chipotlane, its digital order drive-thru lanes, and outlined a new partnership with regional marketplace ASAP.com. The latest Chipotlane location just opened in Louisville, Kentucky.
Chipotle Chief Development Officer Tabassum Zalotrawala
“We are thrilled to celebrate this landmark Chipotlane opening,” said Tabassum Zalotrawala, Chipotle’s chief development officer. “Chipotlanes are the digital drive thru of the future and a key piece of our growth strategy as we plan to more than double our restaurant count over the long term to achieve 7,000 restaurants or more in North America.”
Chipotle is building a real estate pipeline to accelerate new unit growth with an emphasis on Chipotlanes. The Chipotlane format was introduced in the U.S. in early 2018, giving guests and delivery drivers a faster drive-up experience. New restaurant openings that feature this digital order pick-up lane are posting higher volumes and greater returns than a traditional Chipotle restaurant format.
In October 2021, Chipotle opened its first Chipotlane restaurant in Canada. Next year, the company plans to open between 255 to 285 new restaurants, with at least 80 percent including a Chipotlane.
To further increase access for its digital guests, Chipotle recently partnered with ASAP.com, a regional marketplace that provides delivery service in more than 1,000 cities, mainly in the Southeast and Northeast. The partnership is intended to provide a timely delivery experience from more than 600 Chipotle restaurants on the East Coast, South and Midwest, in addition to Chipotle’s existing national delivery partnerships.
