Chipotle Mexican Grill, home of massive burrito bowls and the occasional bacterial (or viral) outbreak, made an announcement Thursday that the company will soon try its luck on a new American staple -- hamburgers.
Chipotle’s new fast-food joint, Tasty Made, will feature burgers, fries and milkshakes in what CEO Steve Ells calls the "original fast food model" of limited menus and simple ingredients.
"Making only burgers, fries and shakes with really great ingredients, we think we can appeal to people's timeless love of burgers, but in a way that is consistent with our long-term vision," Ells said in a statement.
Tasty Made won’t be the first time Chipotle has branched out into different genres of food or invested in new concept restaurants. The Denver-based company currently operates a southeast Asian-style, fast-casual restaurant called ShopHouse. The restaurant has locations in California, Washington, D.C., Illinois and Maryland and serves Chipotle-style bowls.
Chipotle also exercised its corporate influence over Boulder-original Pizzeria Locale in 2012. Ells invested in the company and flipped it from table service to a fast-casual dining dream with a simplified menu, characteristic of Chipotle. Pizzeria Locale now has locations in Denver, Kansas City and Cincinnati.
Chipotle first hinted at a new burger concept when the company filed a trademark application for "Better Burger."
The first Tasty Made will open this fall at 732 N. Memorial Dr. in Lancaster, Ohio.
Multimedia business & healthcare reporter Chloe Aiello can be reached via email at [email protected] or twitter.com/chlobo_ilo.
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