Chipotle says its employees can choose chicken again.
Last week, the chain asked its U.S. and Canadian employees to temporarily select a different protein for their work meals to preserve the company’s chicken supply. The directive applied to both business staff and restaurant employees.
Chipotle, based in Newport Beach, California, has more than 114,000 workers in the United States and Canada.
But Laurie Schalow, the Mexican chain’s head of corporate affairs and food safety, said Thursday that the directive had been rescinded and employees could return to ordering chicken with their meals.
“We are not experiencing a shortage of chicken in our restaurants,” Schalow said in a statement. “Last week, we temporarily asked employees to select non-chicken options for their meals to keep our guests supplied based on our strong sales, but employees are now free to choose chicken in their meals as usually.”
Chipotle’s chicken al pastor, marinated in morita peppers, ground achiote and pineapple, debuted in March 2023. It became so popular that it quickly accounted for 20% of all orders, said Chipotle. It was removed from the menu last August.
In a conference call with investors Wednesday, Chipotle said the reintroduction of chicken al pastor in March, a limited-time offering, drove strong traffic to its 3,371 U.S. and 66 international stores.
Chipotle said its revenue rose 14% to $2.7 billion in the January-March period, while its same-store sales — or sales at stores open at least a year – were up 7%. Brian Niccol, Chipotle’s chairman and CEO, said Chicken Al Pastor attracts additional customers and encourages regulars to come in more often.
Chipotle Chief Financial Officer Jack Hartung said Thursday that the company plans to remove chicken al pastor from the menu again during the third quarter of this year.
yahoo
