Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. opened its 4,000th restaurant in Manhattan, Kansas today, marking another step towards its goal of operating 7,000 locations in the U.S. and Canada.
The Newport Beach-based company said that its restaurant count has almost doubled since current Chief Executive Scott Boatwright initially joined Chipotle in 2017 as chief restaurant officer.
“Achieving 4,000 restaurants underscores the strength of our strategic initiatives and commitment to ‘Cultivate a Better World’,” Boatwright said in a statement.
Chipotle expects to open 350 to 370 new restaurants in 2026, including 10 to 15 international partner-operated locations.
The newly opened restaurant includes a few innovations that the company has introduced in the last several years, such as the Chipotlane drive-thru for mobile orders and the new equipment package that has a three-pan rice cooker, a dual sided plancha and produce slicer.
To commemorate the milestone, Chipotle executives and restaurant leaders rang The Opening Bell at The New York Stock Exchange. Shares were up 3.8% to $36.21 apiece during midday trading with a market cap of $48 billion (NYSE: CMG).
