How Chipotle is bucking industry trends

Chipotle reported first quarter results after market close Wednesday and the company once again bucked the industry’s declining traffic trends, turning in a plus-5% increase in transactions. Credit Chicken Al Pastor, barbacoa, and improved throughput to meet demand for both.

The company also generated 7% comp sales growth, while system sales grew 15% to reach $2.7 billion. CEO Brian Niccol said in-store sales were up by nearly 20% as throughput reached its highest level in four years. That throughput improvement has stemmed from the company’s Project Square One, first put into place during the summer of 2022 to prioritize a focus on operational fundamentals for a workforce that largely dissipated during the pandemic. The company improved its throughput by nearly two entrees during its peak 15-minute timeframe versus last year, with sequential improvements each month. Niccol said its operations initiative focuses on four areas, including expediting the bagging and payment process and ensuring the manager supplies both lines with food to avoid interruption.