Chipotle recently added its newest menu item--a spicy chicken and pork sausage named chorizo. The new item was introduced in stores nationwide this past Tuesday, after successful limited releases in cities across the US. The chicken and pork for this chorizo is "responsibly raised" and seasoned with paprika, toasted cumin, and chipotle peppers, then grilled until it has the "perfect char."
The release was a relative surprise to many, but Chipotle executives hinted at this new menu item earlier this year. They are hoping that this new addition will draw customers back in after sales plummeted nearly 30 percent and customer satisfaction rates fell six percent due to E-coli, norovirus, and salmonella outbreaks late last year. This new addition is just the next in a series of attempts to win back customers and raise sales. Over the summer, the company also ran a temporary loyalty program that attracted more than 3.6 million participants.
In the 23 years that Chipotle has been in existence, the company has only changed its menu twice. In 2014, it introduced Sofritas tofu to the menu. Chipotle CEO Steve Ells said in a statement, "Since we opened Chiptole 23 years ago, our menu has changed very little. While we have never been opposed to changing our menu, we only do so when we think there's an opportunity to add something that is really unique but that fits within our overall menu, where we can find ingredients that meet our high standards."
In the past months, chorizo was released in a limited-edition in restaurants in Ohio, Kansas City, New York City, California, Colorado, and Washington D.C. in order to test consumer responses to the new menu option. Chipotle co-CEO Monty Moran stated that the test was, "very, very popular with our loyal customers" in a statement made earlier this year. Ells added that, "The reaction to chorizo in the cities that have had it have been overwhelmingly positive, so we're making it available in all of our restaurants across the country."
Chipotle has prided itself since the beginning on their concept of having simple, responsibly raised and collected ingredients that customers can customize into thousands of different variations. With the addition of chorizo, Chipotle has made another promise to its customers to provide them with the food they crave at a reasonable price. Chorizo can now be added as an ingredient in bowls, salads, burritos, tacos, and more!
