Chipotle has opened its first restaurant in the Middle East nearly a year after signing its first franchising agreement. The restaurant, located in partnership with the Alshaya Group, is located in Kuwait City, Kuwait’s The Avenues, a shopping mall that experiences about 1 million visitors each week. The opening marks the first time Chipotle has entered a new country in over 10 years.
The Alshaya Group plans to accelerate Chipotle’s Middle East presence with an opening in Dubai and a total of four new restaurants later this year.
“In partnership with Alshaya Group, we worked tirelessly to ensure that we delivered an exceptional first impression in Kuwait with our freshly prepared menu of real ingredients and we are encouraged by the early results,” Chipotle Chief Business Development Officer Nate Lawton said in a statement. “Together, we’ll continue to gather insights on regional preferences and adapt accordingly as we grow our presence in the region and expand upon our mission to ‘Cultivate a Better World.’”
The Kuwait City restaurant features a new design format for the company, including a kiosk ordering system, tables equipped with QR codes prompting guests to download the Alshaya Chipotle mobile app for pick-up orders, and new materials and artwork amplifying the company’s “Food with Integrity” campaign. Those materials include a wood tile floor, Corten art wall and ceiling, and new wall finishes. The company said its development team has spent the past several years building out concepts with these new materials, textures, and artwork.
With this opening, Chipotle’s international portfolio now includes 41 locations in Canada, 19 in the United Kingdom, six in France, two in Germany, and one in the Middle East. The company owns and operates over 3,400 restaurants in North America with an 8-to-10% growth pace per year and a goal to get to about 7,000 locations. At least 80% of those locations will be a Chipotlane model.
The company will report its first quarter earnings results after market close on Wednesday.
Contact Alicia Kelso at [email protected]