Introduction
When Steve Ells decided to create a restaurant concept that combined the quick-serve experience with exceptional quality food, he didn’t know it would be an instant hit (Thompson, Peteraf, Gamble, & Strickland III, 2015). He was looking for a way to use his culinary training and restaurant experience to elevate the fast-food concept. This transformed the way people thought about fast-food. His concept centered on a focused menu serving only high-quality, fresh ingredients using traditional cooking methods and made-to-order preparation in a restaurant interior that was aesthetically pleasing but still prepared in under 2-3 minutes. And Chipotle Mexican Grill was born! Within six years of being open, Chipotle Mexican Grill went public on the New York Stock Exchange, doubling its stock price the first day (Thompson et al., 2015). Year after year, Chipotle has been able to grow revenue from $3.2 billion to $4.1 billion ("CHIPOTLE MEXICAN GRILL INC (CMG:New York): Financial Statements - BusinessWeek," n.d.). See Exhibit 2 for Chipotle’s Financial Statement. In 2011, Chipotle expanded their …show more content…
Chipotle capitalizes on this by word of mouth marketing. Chipotle released “The Scarecrow” video marketing campaign and associated mobile game targeting GMO companies. In less than two weeks after release, the video had attracted 3.1 million views on YouTube, 2,000 likes and more than 4,000 comments. This truly exhibits the strength of Chipotle’s viral marketing (Handley, 2013). Other strengths include the use of all-natural ingredients, higher salaries for managers and employees, and online ordering with delivery in certain areas. Chipotle certainly has areas of weakness in their menu options, authentic Mexican food, advertising, and availability of sustainable products. See exhibit 1 for the full SWOT