Chipotle Mexican Grill, famous for its tacos and burritos, is now set to challenge the burger market as well with the entry of its new burger chain named Better Burger.
Based on U.S. Patent and Trademark Office records, Chipotle filed a trademark application for the name "Better Burger" just this month according to a Wall Street Journal article by Annie Gasparro.
Chipotle spokesman Chris Arnold said "We have two non-Chipotle growth seeds open now - ShopHouse and Pizzeria Locale - and have noted that the Chipotle model could be applied to a wide variety of foods," according to an article by Roger Yu in USA Today.
The new burger venture is seen as way to capture growth which has eluded the Mexican-themed restaurant in recent months. In fact, the Denver-based restaurant reported in February its worst quarterly performance as publicly traded company firm. According to USA Today, its fourth-quarter net income for 2015 of $67.9 million is 44 percent lesser than previous year's last quarter figure, mainly attributed to decreased sales during the period due to its multi-state E.Coli outbreaks last year.
For years, Chipotle experienced accelerated growth with its business model, the use of fresh ingredient that allows people to create their own customized orders in a matter of minutes according to the WSJ article. It quickly caught on among consumers who saw it as higher quality and healthier option compared to the traditional fast food.
By last year, Chipotle's growth slowed down as other food companies decided to invade its "healthy option" turf. For example, McDonalds began eliminating artificial ingredients and focused on serving fresh fast food as well.
Perhaps Chipotle's entry into the burgers market can also be seen as Chipotle's not-so-indirect answer to McDonalds intrusion to its market, by invading the burger scene, a traditional market for fast food companies like McDonalds.
