We mined Chipotle’s investments and partnerships to discern the company's strategic priorities.
Chipotle is a leader in the fast-casual restaurant space and has stayed ahead of the curve on adopting new technology. It now sees over $7.5B in annual revenue across 3,000+ locations across the US and internationally.
However, supply chain issues, a tight labor market, and evolving customer habits — such as the growing use of third-party delivery apps — have made customer loyalty more difficult to earn and profit margins harder to maintain around the industry.
Over the past few years, Chipotle has been addressing these challenges by testing and implementing technology such as robotics, operations automation, food waste management, unique shopper rewards, and gaming-related tech. These tech solutions are making operations more efficient and increasing profit margins, as well as attracting new customers through creative methods of engagement.
Using CB Insights data, we uncovered the company’s 4 most important strategic priorities, highlighted by recent investments and partnerships from Chipotle and its venture fund, Cultivate Next. We then categorized companies by their business relationships with Chipotle across these priorities:
- Food waste & traceability
- Gaming & the metaverse
- Operations automation & robotics
- Payments & rewards
