Chipotle enters Asian food chains market with opening of first ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen restaurant in Washington, D.C.; menu, service similar to Chipotle but with Asian ingredients

Lorena Madrigal

LOS ANGELES , September 15, 2011 (Industry Intelligence) – Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. opened its first ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen restaurant in Washington, D.C. today, Bloomberg reported Sept. 15.

According to company spokesman Chris Arnold, customers of the DuPont Circle eatery will recognize the format that is similar to the company’s Chipotle restaurants.

Customizing their food by moving through a line, customers will choose either rice or noodles with toppings like tofu, eggplant, Chinese broccoli and chicken satay. The bowls will be less expensive than the US$7-$8 burritos sold at Chipotle with prices ranging between $6.50 and $7.50, the article reported.

Traditional Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches with papaya slaw and peanuts will also be on the menu.

By entering the Asian chains market Chipotle will enter competition with Panda Express and Pei Wei Asian Diner, who were the nation’s top Asian chains.

The market saw a 5.9% increase in sales in 2010, outpacing all other menu category markets, and is expected to see another 5% growth rate this year, according to Chicago research firm Technomic Inc.

D.A. Davidson & Co. analyst Bart Glenn said, “There’s never a sure thing with a restaurant concept,” but he advises buying company shares.

The primary source of this article is Bloomberg, New York, New York, on Sept. 15, 2011.

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