Chipotle is a well-known name in the United States. Just like other businesses, this one also has competitors. Chipotle is doing well in the current market. However, it still gets good healthy competition from others trying to make their mark in the market. In this article, I will list down the top 5 competitors of Chipotle to look out for in 2024.
Brief History Of Chipotle
Before you learn about the competitors of Chipotle, you should have a brief overview of what Chipotle actually is!
Chipotle’s actual legal name is Chipotle Mexican Grill. It comes under the category of fast-casual restaurants. They have been in the business since 1993. It was founded by Steve Ells. Their food primarily consists of burritos, bowls, tacos, quesadillas, and salads. These 5 food items contain different varieties depending on your order and preferences.
Founder: Steve Ells
Number of Countries: 5
Number Of Locations: 3000+
Menu Overview: Taco Plates, Bowls and Salads, and Burritos.
Provides Franchise: Yes
By 2024, Revenue Projected to Generate approximately: $11 Billion
Official Website: Chipotle
Fun Fact: Chipotle uses around 100,000 avocados a day.
Competitors Of Chipotle
Let us now understand the competitors of chipotle. Although you may find many restaurants serving similar food items. However, I am considering only the food chains big enough to be compared.
So, there are primarily 5 top competitors of Chipotle: Qdoba Mexican Eats, Moe’s Southwest Grill, Baja Fresh Mexican Grill, Rubio’s Coastal Grill, and Taco Bell.
We can briefly go through each competitor and compare their competitiveness.
1. Qdoba Mexican Eats
It is a fast-food serving restaurant chain active in the United States and Canada. It is one of the strongest competitors to Chipotle. They serve authentic Mexican-style cuisine along with some variations. It also comes under a fast-casual-styled food outlet.
The menu of Qdoba Mexican Eats primarily contains Burritos, tacos, quesadillas, nachos, and taco salads. This is quite similar to what Chipotle offers to its customers. Qdoba operates in more than 750 locations in the US and Canada. To distinguish itself from some of its competitors, Qdoba serves breakfast, and some locations are open 24 hours on weekends. They even opened their food outlet on college campuses.
- Founder: Anthony Miller and partner Robert Hauser
- Number Of Countries: 2
- Number Of Locations: 750+
- Menu Overview: Burritos, tacos, quesadillas, nachos, and taco salads.
- Provides Franchise: Yes
- Revenue as of Jan 2023: $610 Million
- Official Website: Qdoba Mexican Eats
2. Moe’s Southwest Grill
It is referred to by customers as Moe’s only. They prefer not to include the Southwest Grill part! It comes under the Focus Brands portfolio of brands that includes Schlotzsky’s, Carvel, Cinnabon, McAlister’s Deli, Jamba, and Auntie Anne’s.
The menu of Moe’s is similar but different at the same time. burritos, tacos, quesadillas, nachos, salads, stacks, burrito bowls, and house-made seasonal salsas. You can add or subtract ingredients for customization. Moreover, every order comes with chips and salsa on the side.
- Founder: Raving Brands
- Number Of Countries: 5
- Number Of Locations: 680+
- Menu Overview: Burritos, tacos, quesadillas, nachos, stacks, and house-made seasonal salsas.
- Provides Franchise: Yes (Only in the US)
- Revenue as of Jan 2023: $901 Million
- Official Website: Moe’s Southwest Grill
3. Baja Fresh Mexican Grill
Baja Fresh is another great Mexican-styled restaurant. It is operated by a Canadian Franchisor – MTY Group. The chain emphasizes fresh ingredients right from the farms. Moreover, in each outlet, you can find a self-serve salsa bar. This is also a unique highlight of this food chain.
The chain operates around 160+ outlets, most of which are franchised. The three main countries they operate in are the United States, Dubai, and Singapore. They primarily serve burritos, tacos, and salads.
- Founder: MTY Food Group
- Number Of Countries: 3
- Number Of Locations: 160+
- Menu Overview: Burritos, tacos, and salads.
- Provides Franchise: Yes
- Revenue as of Jan 2023: $35 Million
- Official Website: Baja Fresh
4. Rubio’s Coastal Grill
Rubio’s Coastal Grill was formerly known as Rubio’s Fresh Mexican Grill and Rubio’s Baja Grill. It is an American fast casual “Fresh Mex” or “New Mex” restaurant chain specializing in Mexican food. They operate in the United States only. They have around more than 200 outlets primarily in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, and Utah.
Their main selling point is their Fish Tacos.
- Founder: Ralph Rubio
- Number Of Countries: 1
- Number Of Locations: 200+
- Menu Overview: Taco Plates, Bowls and Salads, and Burritos.
- Provides Franchise: No
- Revenue as of Jan 2023: $188 Million
- Official Website: Rubios
5. Taco Bell
Many people may not include Taco Bell as the main competitor. But, it is. They may emphasize tacos but their menu is Mexican-styled too. However, they do include other food items as well. It was founded by Glen Bell in 1962. Taco Bell is present in almost 25+ countries.
Taco Bell is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. Later in the year 1978, it was acquired by Pepsi Co. Apart from food outlets, Taco also has its official merchandise including hoodies and tees, holiday ornaments, inflatable sauce packets, and wedding-related items.
- Founder: Glen Bell
- Number Of Countries: 25+
- Number Of Locations: 7000+
- Menu Overview: Tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, and value-menu.
- Provides Franchise: Yes
- Revenue as of Jan 2023: $13.280 billion
- Official Website: Taco Bell
Comparison Of The Competitors
Now, let us see a brief comparison of all the competitors on various factors.
Chipotle | 5 | 3000+ | Yes | $8.6 Billion |
Qdoba Mexican Eats | 2 | 750+ | Yes | $610 Million |
Moe’s Southwest Grill | 5 | 680+ | Yes (Only in the US) | $901 Million |
Baja Fresh Mexican Grill | 5 | 160+ | Yes | $35 Million |
Rubio’s Coastal Grill | 1 | 200+ | No | $188 Million |
Taco Bell | 25+ | 7000+ | Yes | $13.280 billion |
- Taco Bell may seem the biggest competitor. However, the revenue includes food revenue and clothing revenue.
- Moreover, Taco also runs other cuisines and is not limited to Mexican cuisines.
- The strongest competitor of chipotle is Qdoba Mexican Eats.
- The other competitors are tough too but they lag behind by a huge margin in the number of outlets and revenue generation.
- Chipotle does not hold a monopoly in the Mexican-styled food chains. It clearly faces tough competition from its competitors.