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Chipotle External Analysis Essay

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Restaurant Industry:
Chipotle Mexican Grille, Inc.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chipotle Overview 3
Industry Overview 3
Key Macro External Forces 4
Five Competitive Forces 4
Major Factors Causing Fundamental Changes 4
External Analysis 4
Key (or Critical) Success Factors 4
APPENDIX – 1 4
APPENDIX – 2 4 External Factor Evaluation (EFE) Matrix 4
APPENDIX – 3 4 Competitive Profile Matrix (CPM) 4
APPENDIX – 4 4
APPENDIX – 5 4 Content Topics 4
Bibliography 18

Chipotle Overview

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. is a “fast-food service restaurant” under limited service category. It was formed in 1993 and went public in 2006. It has the largest market share in the Mexican-type food segment with a net income of more than …show more content…

Brands, Inc. owns three of the world’s best known fast-food franchises, which are Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut. With a multi-branding strategy, a firm can combine its brands into the same location in order to increase sales and improve operating efficiency. In terms of industry profitability, it appears that profit margins have a tendency to fall. This is because competition is high and customers tend to buy low-priced high-value items. The average gross margin and net profit margin is 37.1% and 14.3%, respectively (MSN Money, 2010).

Key Macro External Forces

Socio-cultural Today’s society is becoming increasingly more health conscious. Consumers are aware of calories, obesity, sodium content and fatty food intake issues. Many restaurants have responded to the healthy eating trend by expanding the number of healthy food choices on their menus. A study found that American fast-food chains increased their healthy menu items by 65% during the second quarter of 2009 to the second quarter of 2010 (Midday, 2010). Another important social factor is the desire to be socially responsible. More restaurants are going green by choosing local ingredients, meats, and vegetables over those shipped from thousands of miles away. A study reports that around 80% of Americans consider themselves to be environmentally conscious. The same study found that over 60% of Americans prefer to eat at eco-friendly or green restaurants (Hubpages, 2010).

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