Chipotle opening in Saudi Arabia

August 13, 2026

Chipotle Mexican Grill is opening its first restaurant in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia later this month in partnership with Alshaya Group, at Sidra, a dining…

FDA, CDC say danger has passed after Chipotle, Qdoba pull jalapenos

August 6, 2026

Qdoba has "proactively" removed jalapenos from its menu after the FDA recalled fresh jalapeños from Sinaloa, Mexico, and distributed by Coast Citrus…

Chipotle: 'Robust ingredient traceability system' flagged jalapeños tied to salmonella probe

August 5, 2026

Chipotle Mexican Grill has reiterated that jalapeños identified from a common lot remain the focus of its internal investigation into a salmonella outbreak…

Chipotle pulls jalapenos from some restaurants amid salmonella outbreak investigation

August 4, 2026

After a weeks of worrying about lettuce being contaminated, customers may now need to avoid jalapenos.

Traffic counts show signs of recovery post Cyclospora

August 3, 2026

Restaurant chains that experienced sharp declines in foot traffic following the recent Cyclospora outbreak are beginning to recover, although some brands…

Taco Bell responds to Cyclospora outbreak, becomes first major chain to pull at-risk ingredients

by Valerie Gritton

A Cyclospora outbreak has restaurant leaders on alert.

Chipotle opens 1st Mexico restaurant, plans further expansion

July 13, 2026

Chipotle Mexican Grill opened its first restaurant in Mexico on Thursday, marking a new chapter in the chain's international growth strategy. The restaurant…

Why Chipotle is funding these 6 emerging brands

by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

July 8, 2026

The chain's Cultivate Next will fund Benchmark Labs, IMIO, Clean Crop Technologies, Athian, SIMPLi and PopID.

Chipotle COO Jason Kidd reveals strategy behind tech-driven back-of-house overhaul

Chipotle COO Jason Kidd joins Fast Casual Nation hosts Paul Barron and Cherryh Cansler to break down how the 4,100-unit brand is winning and retaining the…

Presented by Star Micronics America

GOOOOOOOALLLLLLL: Fast casual restaurants capitalizing on World Cup fever

by Amy Sorter — Writer and Editor, Connect Media

Along with national pride and fan excitement, this year's FIFA World Cup provides restaurants with an opportunity to increase their customer base. Experts tell…

Yelp's 2026 growth data: Fast casual brands, customization devouring the competition

by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

Fast casual is dominating when it comes not only to specific brands — 7 Brews, Dave's Hot Chicken, Cava and Chipotle — but also to the culture it has helped…

Sweetgreen names Cindy Olsen chief strategy officer

May 28, 2026

Sweetgreen, Inc. has appointed Cindy Olsen to the newly created position of senior vice president and chief strategy officer, effective immediately.

Chipotle's Q1 earnings: Tech, sauce innovation drive transaction growth

by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

The company's return to positive transaction growth was due to a focus on four pillars -- efficiency, innovative sauces attracting new guests, gamification and…

Chipotle relaunches loyalty program to capture younger, rewards-driven diners

April 13, 2026

Less than a month after Starbucks announced changes to its loyalty program, Chipotle Mexican Grill shared similar news.

Chipotle doubling pace of 'new product launches,' chicken al pastor returning

January 27, 2026

Chipotle Mexican Grill is bringing back chicken al pastor for a limited time, marking the first move in an aggressive 2026 menu strategy that will see the…

Chipotle outgrowing slump thanks to 10-minute visits

by Lila Margalit — Content Writer, Placer.ai

In November, same-store visits turned slightly positive, compared to previous declines, contributing to a stronger increase in total chain-wide traffic.

2025 in review: FastCasual’s 10 most-read stories

by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

Top stories centered on major brand pivots, such as Golden Corral rebranding its fast casual concept, and the return of seasonal events like Starbucks' Red Cup…

Chipotle jumping on high protein trend

by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

The 4,000-unit chain is launching a menu next week featuring items with protein content ranging from 15 to 81 grams

Chipotle reaches 4,000th restaurant milestone with Kansas opening

December 15, 2025

Chipotle Mexican Grill marked a major corporate milestone Friday, opening its 4,000th restaurant in Manhattan, Kansas, moving the chain past the halfway point…

Chipotle offering free food, BOGO deals throughout December

December 1, 2025

Chipotle Mexican Grill has launched several holiday promotions that will gift customers free food, including buy-one-get-one-free entrée offers on the first…