SANTA MONICA, CA - Known for its fresh, simple-ingredient offerings, Chipotle Mexican Grill has garnered a massive fanbase of health-focused consumers. Now, the company is further tapping into this idea with a more produce-centric approach, debuting its newest concept, Farmesa, which features delicious proteins, greens, grains, and vegetables inspired by Chipotle's Food with Integrity Standards.

"One of our strategic objectives is to create or invest in emerging culinary spaces and restaurant concepts that fit within Chipotle's food with integrity mission and make fresh food daily," said Brian Niccol, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "Our New Ventures team, which was created in 2022, developed a unique restaurant concept that uses classic culinary techniques with flavorful ingredients in a fast-casual setting that we're excited to test and learn on before we determine a broader rollout strategy."

The first new-format restaurant is located in Santa Monica, California. The concept will soft open with an abbreviated menu and limited hours before officially opening its doors in March, a release stated.

Its full menu was curated by James Beard Award-winning Chef Nate Appleman, who serves as Director of Culinary Innovation at Farmesa. He also led menu innovations for Chipotle in the mid to late 2000s.

Farmesa will serve a variety of bowls, each featuring a protein, green or grain, two sides, a choice of five sauces, and a topping option. It will launch with a limited-run menu to help associates learn various cooking techniques and maximize throughput.

"Launching Farmesa in the Kitchen United Mix food hall in Santa Monica and partnering with third-party partners for pickup or delivery will allow us to reach a large number of consumers, learn quickly, and evolve our concept and menu so that we can deliver on our goals before expanding," said Nate Lawton, Vice President of New Ventures at Chipotle. "We believe there's an opportunity to serve premium, craveable food every day, and we're eager to bring this new concept to life."

To read more about this fresh-forward launch, click here.

ANUK will keep a close watch on the expansion of this innovative concept, so stick around.

Chipotle Mexican Grill