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Chipotle embracing mobile payments

February 4, 2014

Chipotle said it will invest $10 million to redesign its technology network and add mobile payments to its app, according to Chris Arnold, the chain's marketing strategist lead. In an email today to FastCasual.com, Arnold confirmed that the information was briefly discussed during last week's earnings call. But the company has released no other details.

"We haven't discussed platforms and timing and the like," Arnold told FastCasual.com. But according to Bloomberg, the chain will spend a few hundred dollars per restaurant to add equipment similar to the readers used at Starbucks. The app will allow payments through a bar code scan or Bluetooth connection and will speed up transaction processing, Arnold told Bloomberg.

"The primary benefits are customer convenience and allowing people to engage with us in another way," he told the news outlet via email. "We'll also be able to push offers or other messages to app users, which could certainly be a useful retention tool."

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