Chipotle will first launch Farmesa Fresh Eatery at Kitchen United’s upcoming location in Santa Monica.
Source: Chipotle Mexican Grill
Chipotle Mexican BBQ The company abandoned its Farmesa Fresh Eatery spinoff after partner Kitchen United closed its ghost kitchen.
More than a year ago, Chipotle announced the opening of its first Farmesa location at Kitchen United’s Santa Monica location. The spin-off menu features customizable bowls. Its brand name is a combination of “farm” and “tabletop” (Spanish for “table”) in an attempt to convey its farm-to-table approach.
But the Santa Monica ghost kitchen closed in February as the parent company ran into financial troubles.
Curt Garner, Chipotle’s chief customer and chief technology officer, told CNBC on Wednesday that the company has no plans to open a standalone version of Farmesa. However, he said the brand lives on in the company’s innovation lab for new menu items.
Chipotle CEO Brian Niccol said on the company’s earnings call Wednesday that Chipotle’s main focus now is growing its brand in the United States and abroad through its booming international business.
“Obviously there are things we can do outside of the brand if the opportunity arises, so I never want to say never, but that’s not our focus right now,” he told analysts.
Instead, the company has focused on making its restaurants more efficient and faster to boost sales. Chipotle’s first-quarter profit and revenue topped Wall Street forecasts on Wednesday.
In November, Kitchen United announced plans to close or sell all of its stores as it transitions into software. Ghost kitchens, also known as cloud kitchens or dark kitchens, allow restaurants to prepare food exclusively for take-out.
The format’s popularity has soared during the pandemic as restaurants look for ways to boost delivery profits. But once customers began dining in person again and money became more expensive, many ghost kitchen startups like Kitchen United found themselves in trouble.
In March, SBE founder Sam Nazarian acquired the remaining stores and intellectual property rights of Kitchen United for an undisclosed amount and created a new company “Everybody Eats”.
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