Chipotle reverses protein policy, says workers can choose chicken once again

Chipotle says its staff can select rooster as soon as once more.

Final week, the chain requested its U.S. and Canadian staff to quickly choose one other protein for his or her work meals to protect the corporate’s provide of rooster. The directive utilized to each company employees and restaurant staff.

Newport Seashore, California-based Chipotle has greater than 114,000 staff within the U.S. and Canada.

However Laurie Schalow, the Mexican chain’s chief company affairs and meals security officer, stated Thursday that the directive has been rescinded and staff can return to ordering rooster with their meals.

“We aren’t experiencing outages of rooster in our eating places,” Schalow stated in an announcement. “Final week we quickly requested staff to pick non-chicken choices for his or her worker meals to keep up provide for our friends based mostly on our robust gross sales, however staff are actually free to pick rooster of their meals as regular.”

Chipotle’s rooster al pastor, which is marinaded in morita peppers, floor achiote and pineapple, debuted in March 2023. It grew so widespread that it quickly made up 20% of all orders, Chipotle stated. It was faraway from the menu final August.

Throughout a convention name with buyers Wednesday, Chipotle stated its reintroduction of rooster al pastor in March as a limited-time supply drove robust visitors to its 3,371 U.S. shops and 66 worldwide shops.

Chipotle stated its income rose 14% to $2.7 billion within the January-March interval whereas its same-store gross sales – or gross sales at places open not less than a 12 months – had been up 7%. Brian Niccol, Chipotle’s chairman and CEO, stated rooster al pastor was bringing in extra prospects and inspiring regulars to come back extra usually.

Chipotle Chief Monetary Officer Jack Hartung stated Thursday that the corporate plans to drag rooster al pastor off the menu once more someday within the third quarter of this 12 months.