Competitive Priorities and Capabilities

Competitive Priorities 

QUALITY

Quality is the key competitive priority for Chipotle Mexican Grille.  The commitment to a high quality product is one of the things that Chipotle believes sets them apart from their competition.  Chipotle believes that is important to use animal products that are raised naturally and in “happy” environments. Chipotle provides its customers with the highest quality raw materials (naturally raised beef, chicken, and pork). They believe that it is important for their customers to know where their food is coming from.  Chipotle prides themselves on their high standards for the best recipes when it comes to their food and providing customers with a high quality experience. This is no more evident anywhere than in Chipotle’s mission statement: “Food with integrity.”

TIME

The second most important competitive priority for Chipotle is time.  Almost as important as serving fresh food to their customers is doing so in a timely manner.  Timing is not only important as far as the time it takes to serve a customer but also important in regards to how fresh their products are.  The prepared poultry, beef, or pork products will never sit for more than a day.  Also, animal products are served within 72 hours of slaughter.  An animal killed on the first is served on your plate by the third.  Not only did Chipotle want to serve high quality food to its customers, but they wanted to change the fast food industry. When walking into the store you are presented by a team of skilled workers ready to make your burrito customized to your likings. Each trained employee is ready to expedite your order right away and each order should take no longer than three minute from the time of heating up the tortilla to wrapping it in tin foil.

COST

Cost is a vital part of every business.  All successful entities find innovative ways to minimize their costs.  Chipotle is no exception. Chipotle uses all fresh ingredients every day in preparing their food.  To minimize transportation costs each restaurant finds farmers within a 350 mile radius.  Not only does this benefit Chipotle but it also benefits local family owned farms by supplying them with a steady demand. This allows for cheap costs and guarantees fresh vegetables in an attempt to take control of healthier (organic) foods. Although since Chipotle uses the best raw materials, they often have to pay a premium to stay consistent with their "Food with Integrity" mission. They say their customers have no problem paying for the extra costs to keep the foods at the highest quality as long as it remains competitive to other competitors in the market.

FLEXIBILITY

Flexibility is our lowest ranked competitive priority for Chipotle but that doesn’t mean it’s not important.  Chipotle offers a range of customizations for their customers and allows customers’ to order to their preference.  Customers can order burritos, burrito bowls, or even tacos.  The food is put together right in front of the customer.  This allows them to customize their burrito down to every last detail.  They can choose between pork, chicken, beef, or any combination of these.  The same goes for the toppings and the style of beans and rice.