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DENVER
– Burritos for breakfast? How about tacos before 10 am? Those are
questions Denver-based Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. is considering at it
relates to expanded day-parts.
In an April 18 conference call with analysts regarding its fiscal 2013
first-quarter earnings, Steve Ells, founder, chairman and chief
executive officer of Chipotle, said the restaurant chain currently has
only two restaurants that are open during traditional breakfast hours.
Both restaurants are located in airports — one at Dulles Airport in
Washington and one at Baltimore-Washington International Airport.
The restaurant within the Dulles Airport is open early and serves
Chipotle’s regular menu, but the site in Baltimore has a breakfast menu,
Ells said.
The breakfast menu includes frittatas, a new item that Ells described as “really, really delicious.”
Frittatas are egg-based dishes similar to omelets or crustless quiches,
and typically include additional ingredients such as meats, cheeses,
vegetables or pasta.
Ells said Chipotle offers two varieties of frittatas at the Baltimore
airport — a chorizo (Mexican sausage) frittata and a vegetarian
frittata.
“(They’re) very, very popular and gaining more popularity as we continue
to serve it,” Ells said. “Those are the only two places really that I
would consider us having breakfast.”
That said, Ells said Chipotle does open its restaurants earlier in the
day in areas where there is demand. He said restaurant managers watch
traffic and activity in their neighborhoods to determine whether there
is a need.
“We can open up as early as 10 o’clock,” he said. “I’m not sure if we
open up much earlier than that, but if there is demand in those areas,
they certainly do take advantage of that and open up, and that’s in a
number of restaurants in all of our markets.”
One of Chipotle’s competitors in the quick-service Mexican food market
is Irvine, Calif.-based Taco Bell Corp., a subsidiary of Yum! Brands,
Inc. Last fall, Taco Bell expanded its FirstMeal breakfast menu with the
launch of the A.M. Crunchwrap and Mtn Dew A.M.
Taco Bell’s FirstMeal breakfast menu is offered up until 11 am at most locations.
Taco Bueno, another large Mexican restaurant chain based in Farmers
Ranch, Texas, has offered a line of breakfast items, including egg
burritos and breakfast platters, since 2007. |
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