Time, there never seems to be enough, which is why many people choose to eat out rather than eating at home. The fast food industry has many options; between the options are many similarities and differences that people seem to overlook. Going in depth to comparisons and contrasts between restaurant chains can be very insightful. Two of the most competitive restaurant chains are Chipotle and Qdoba; both companies are well-known and often compared, but are different from each other as well.
One of the biggest discussions that come with Chipotle and Qdoba is the food being served. Chipotle serves “Food with Integrity,” meaning the food contains no GMO’s (genetically modified organisms) and is antibiotic free. The restaurant prefers to get food
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Chipotle has been in the news recently for offering college tuition reimbursement after a year of employment. Since the company normally hires 18-year-olds for the job, receiving up to 90% of tuition reimbursement forces someone to keep an eye on Chipotle. On top of that, the starting pay is $9 per hour, already higher than the federal minimum wage. Chipotle attracts new people interested in working if more is being offered than another job. Also, vision, dental, and health insurance after the first day of employment. One benefit Qdoba has that Chipotle doesn’t is schedule flexibility. Chipotle sets the official schedule two weeks in advance and becomes difficult to change days. Qdoba tends to hire more people regularly and has availability at last minute for employees if necessary. The starting pay for their employees is set at the exact federal minimum wage of $8.23 per hour. Vision, dental, and health insurance is offered to employees too, but only after 90 days of employment. Two benefits Chipotle and Qdoba offer are career ladders and employee discounts. If any employee is interested in rising up in the company ladder, the next steps are take out specialists, kitchen managers, apprentices (learns from the general manager), and manager. With each new job offered as one climbs up the ladder, the salary rises and so does the experience. For employee discounts, both companies offer free meals while on the job and then 50% off when not working. Chipotle and Qdoba benefits are more equal than when it comes to serving
The company is driven by a strong set of values, even if some of those decisions increase its costs internally. This is especially the case with the sourcing of its ingredients and meats. In fact, the high-quality ingredients and advanced cooking methods used by Chipotle are second to no other fast-food chain. Among recent developments, the leader in fast-casual dining concepts plans to become absolutely GMO-free by the end of 2014. Although the aim is not new, it shows Chipotle’s commitment to bring fresh ingredients to the table. Besides offering high-quality meals to its customers, the portions are generously sized and the value is unmatched. There are very few places that can fill you up for less that $10 with quality food, and not junk. The triad of fresh, pure ingredients, cutting-edge cooking methods, and tremendous portions gives Chipotle a mouthwatering appeal.
Chipotles has taken the market share during their launch of the new Vegan option. “Chipotle Mexican Grill introduced Sofritas, the first vegan meal offered by a national fast food chain that's not a salad or a veggie burger.” (Neporent, 2013). Taco Bell and Chipotle share the same market share, and there is a potential that
Steve Ells founded Chipotle in 1994. When the company first opened its first restaurant, their model of business was a first of its kind. They operated a restaurant business that lies between fast food restaurant and fine dining. The management of the company pride in providing the customers with food services in a fast manner without necessarily the customers experiencing the literal fast food services experience (Ragas & Roberts, 2015). According to the company, their services are high-quality fine dining but delivered in a fast manner synonymous with the common fast-food experience. That model of business practiced by Chipotle has come to be referred as casual restaurant business model.
A. Attention getter- Do you Know that Chipotle uses organic ingredients and naturally raised chicken, pork and beef?
The fast food restaurant industry, which includes quick-service and fast-casual restaurants, is highly segmented with the top 50 companies accounting for only 25% of the industry’s sales. The $120 billion industry includes over 200,000 restaurants with 50% of those specializing in hamburger entrees. (hoovers.com 2008) The major competitors in the industry include McDonald’s, Burger King, Taco Bell, Subway, and KFC – Chick-fil-A’s major competitor in chicken sales. Chick-fil-A’s unique position in the market, specializing in chicken-based entrées, has lead to a competitive advantage which the company has been able to capitalize on. Recently, many competitors have added chicken entrees in order to compete in the market segment. Through marketing strategies and company initiatives, Chick-fil-A has tried to stay distant from competitors, offering a fresh alternative to the ordinary fast food restaurant.
With a unique appeal, a healthy and delicious product, and a powerful social message that made our target customers feel great about eating Chipotle over more traditional fast food, we have pioneered the fast-casual restaurant model our customers admire. Furthermore, our food sourcing is a rewardable effort and it is what we and our customers respect.
1.3 Market Segment Chipotle is classified in the restaurant industry as fast casual, a combination of the quick serve and the casual dining segments. Fast casual restaurants have the following attributes: high quality food, upscale atmosphere, higher check averages between $7-$11, and pay at the counter (What exactly is fast casual?, 2008). 2.0 Market Opportunity Analysis 2.1 Market Trends The restaurant industry grew to $403.5 billion in 2010, a growth of 2.1% from 2009 (Consumers still thrift when dining out, 2011).... ...
Chipotle is my favorite place to eat. As I am sure it is for other people. Chipotle is a fast food Mexican grill. They are most known for how big they make your burritos. Now it is fast food but it isn’t actually fast, they’re like a restaurant but without the wait. They serve all naturally raised meat and organic beans. So there food is pretty healthy and worth eating. The employees are always nice and it just a great place to eat over all. Chipotle is a great choice for a quick fast food stop because it gives great service, atmosphere, food and value. My experience there is always a good one.
Abstract This paper explores the business strategies Chipotle is using for operations. Analyzing financial and operations data to discuss areas of concern as well as areas where Chipotle Mexican Grill is doing well. Discussions will include the importance of Chipotle’s menu preparation strategy and menu integrity. The marketing strategies
When Chipotle first opened in 1993, the goal was to serve quality food fast, but not be considered “fast food.” To avoid falling under the fast food stigma, Chipotle strives to find the best ingredients with respect to animals, farmers, and the environment. In order to achieve these goals, Chipotle has created a matrix organizational structure that is divisional by location and functional by authority. Chipotle recently expanded internationally to the United Kingdom, Germany, and France, each following strict guidelines assigned by corporate employees from their headquarters in Denver, Colorado. Similarly, each location is functionally organized according to authority: regional manager, district manager, store manager, assistant manager, and
From a study completed by Chicago-based Research International USA completed a study called “Fast Food Nation 2008. The panel consisted of 1,000 respondents of ages 16-65 who provided their inputs with an online survey which was conducted between March 13 through 2008. Which was based on results on fast food restaurants like McDonald’s, Burger King, and Wendy’s are gaining popularity even through the economic hardship and recession. Marketing strategy has become more of influence on kids and young American’s. As population grows and the demand increases of fast food restaurants are expanding their stores to capturing more consumers. Fast food chains are also willing to change their menus to continue to gain and retain repeating customers. With each generation that passes, brings fast food chains into more homes and continues impacting lives.
These forces include the intensity of rivalry from traditional competitors, threat of new market entrants, threat of substitute products and services, bargaining power of customers and bargaining power of suppliers (Laudon & Laudon, 2007). See diagram below for more information. Traditional Competitors (competitive rivalry). McDonalds traditional competitors include many of the other fast food outlets across the country, i.e. Burger King, Taco Bell, KFC, Wendy’s. It has been shown by Professor Michael Waterson (2004) that the presence of a Burger King, for example, will increase the likelihood that McDonalds will open nearby.
Fast food has changed the face of the world. Major chains like McDonalds span all over the world. Fast food chains are continuing to grow despite numerous facts of their unhealthiness. Fast food has been proven to be a dangerous food source, yet people continue to purchase it. The more people buy fast food the more it allows the big corporations to grow. People continue to eat fast food because there are no other convenient options.
First, fast food and home-cooked meals differ in the time. The people choose fast food because they do not have time to prepare a proper meal and it can be prepared very quickly. Jekanowski, Binkley, and Eales (2001) claimed that fast food outlets’ main sales point is convenience. The fast food companies open a lot of branches in the different area so that the customers just need a few minutes to buy a set of fast food even it is complete with a drink.
Fierce and growing competition – big fast food companies like Burger King and Kentucky Fried Chicken are constantly competing with McDonalds for customers and trying to take the spot as the top fast food chain.