Chipotle Mexican Grill has dropped “interim” from chief executive officer Scott Boatwright’s title, today announcing that after a “robust and thorough process,” he will take over the top spot, as well as a position on the board, effective immediately.
Boatwright was named interim CEO in August upon Brian Niccol’s departure for the CEO role at Starbucks. Prior, he served as chief operating officer since 2017, responsible for more than 125,000 employees and more than 3,600 restaurants.
Boatwright has instilled a culture of throughput at Chipotle, which has bolstered average unit volumes above $3 million with a fresh target of $4 million. He’s also led the integration of new technology into restaurants and achieved industry-leading retention rates. During the company’s most recent earnings call last month, he stated he wants Chipotle to be more of "an iconic global brand."
"We conducted a thorough and rigorous external search process that confirmed Scott is absolutely the best person to lead the next stage of growth at Chipotle. Today's announcement is an affirmation of both Scott's leadership capability and our internal succession planning process. The board overwhelmingly believes Scott will deliver on the key strategies in place and position the company for continued success,” board chair Scott Maw said in a statement.
"It is an honor to serve as the CEO of this purpose-driven brand and I look forward to providing greater opportunities for our employees, generating value for our shareholders and Cultivating a Better World for our communities," Boatwright said in a statement. "I am passionate about our menu and energized by our people, and believe that I, along with our esteemed bench of tenured leaders, will deliver on our priorities and achieve our long-term growth goals."
Prior to Chipotle, Boatwright spent 18 years with Arby's Restaurant Group in various leadership positions. He last served as senior vice president of operations, where he was responsible for the performance of over 1,700 Arby's restaurants in numerous states.
Boatwright currently serves on the board of directors of Academy Sports and Outdoors and is a member of the National Restaurant Association's Fast Casual Industry Council. He holds a Master of Business Administration from the J. Mack Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University.
Contact Alicia Kelso at [email protected]
