For the first time in 17 years, Chipotle has broadened its small list of customizable entrees beyond burritos, tacos, bowls and salads.
Starting Thursday, customers’ No. 1 request — quesadillas — will join the menu.
“We’re so excited to answer the call from fans and introduce one of the most highly anticipated menu items in our brand’s history,” Chris Brandt, the company’s chief marketing officer, said in announcing the rollout.
The quesadilla is the company’s first digital-only menu item, requiring customers to order via the Chipotle app or Chipotle.com. And it’s the first menu item that won’t be made entirely at the Chipotle assembly-line counter — new custom ovens have been installed to turn out the melty entrees as quickly and efficiently as possible once the digital order arrives.
Made with a preservative-free flour tortilla, Chipotle’s quesadilla is filled with Monterey Jack cheese and the customer’s choice of chicken, steak, carnitas, barbacoa, sofritas or fajita veggies, then pressed in the oven. It’s cut in triangles and served with three salsas or sides. (Guacamole, as always, is extra.)
Last summer, Chipotle test-marketed the digital-only quesadilla in Cleveland and Indianapolis and gathered customer feedback on both the product and the ordering system before deciding on the national launch. According to CNBC, digital sales accounted for half of the company’s revenue in the fourth quarter of 2020.
The new menu item comes with a deal: Chipotle will offer free delivery of quesadillas to customers from Thursday through March 21. Find details at www.chipotle.com/quesadilladelivery.
The last time Chipotle expanded the menu of customizable entrees was 17 years ago, when salads joined the lineup, a spokeswoman said. Since then a number of sides and proteins have been added — including recently, cilantro-lime cauliflower rice — but not a main entree option.
Chipotle, founded by Steve Ells in 1993 in Denver, now owns and operates 2,750 restaurants in North America and Europe.
Details: www.chipotle.com
