- Chipotle renamed its topping barbacoa because customers didn’t know what it was.
- It has now been renamed “braised beef barbacoa,” its CEO said.
- Barbacoa is a method of cooking meat used in Mexico.
Chipotle’s CEO said he had to rename his barbacoa burrito filling because diners weren’t sure what it was.
“A lot of our guests didn’t know that barbacoa was braised beef,” CEO Brian Niccol told analysts on the company’s first-quarter earnings conference call Monday. “So we renamed it braised beef barbacoa.”
The item, which is labeled on its American menu as “beef barbacoa” and in its advertisements as “braised beef barbacoa”, is available as a topping for burritos, burrito bowls, salad bowls, tacos and quesadillas.
Chipotle’s website describes it as “braised for hours, then shredded.” It is flavored with herbs and spices including black pepper, chipotle pepper, cloves, cumin, garlic and oregano.
Barbacoa is a method of cooking meat believed to have originated in the Caribbean but has since evolved in Mexico.
By Delish, this is usually meat cooked slowly over an open fire or in a hearth. The meat is placed on a rack above a pot filled with liquid then covered with a lid – “As the meat roasts, it is steamed and braised with its own juices,” Delish writes.
Niccol said Chipotle “highlighted” Barbacoa by highlighting it in its marketing during the quarter.
“It was Chipotle’s best kept secret and its popularity continues to grow,” he said. “The campaign was successful, driving incremental transactions and spend, and it was simple for our operations team to execute since it was an existing menu item.”
The homepage of Chipotle’s website, showing a promotion of its braised beef barbacoa. Chipotle
Prices vary by location, but at a Chipotle in Manhattan, a beef barbacoa burrito with no extras costs $13.35, compared to $11.60 for chicken.
During Wednesday’s call, Niccol also discussed the success of the chain’s Chicken al Pastor, which returned to the menu for a limited time.
Chipotle executives said last year that it was easy to launch because it was made from its existing chicken adobo and that its popularity meant the company had to buy cheaper beef.
Chipotle reported a 7% increase in same-restaurant sales in the first quarter and a 14.1% rise in revenue to $2.7 billion. Niccol said the chain’s California restaurants have raised prices about 6 to 7 percent to absorb the new $20 an hour minimum wage for fast-food workers.
Is fast food becoming too expensive? Email this reporter at gdean@insider.com.
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