Chipotle is one of the most successful quick-serve restaurant chains within the industry. The company’s main distinctive feature is the focus on the healthy and organic food with references to the idea of sustainability.
From this point, the company’s mission “Food with Integrity” can be discussed as the driving force of the restaurant chain’s significant progress. Although the company successfully operates within the highly competitive market during a long period of time, some new strategies should be proposed to contribute to the company’s further growth.
The main factors which are associated with the company’s development are
- The concentration on the quality of the products which are ordered and provided quickly;
- The development of the “Food with Integrity” mission with accents on healthy organic products grown at the local territories;
- The unique combination and taste of fresh and healthy items;
- The focus on ideas of sustainability along with following the principles of the social responsibility;
- The strong customer loyalty;
- The intensive cooperation with the social media and support of the charity programs;
- The strong relations with suppliers;
- The effective leadership;
- The problems with the international expansion and usage of the foreign suppliers;
- The effective leadership and guaranteed high profits basing on the company’s leader position within the market.
In spite of the fact that the company successfully operates within the extremely competitive environment overcoming a lot of challenges, risk of new entrants is high, and the company needs the more innovative approach to its development in order to respond to the modern trends within the market.
Thus, it is possible to propose such alternatives for the company’s strategy as the development of the new menu following the principles of sustainability and using the high-quality healthy and organic products; the promotion of the “Food with Integrity” mission in its connection with the healthy lifestyle trends basing on the social media; the provision of the flexible approaches to cooking the menu items; the improvement of the cooperation with suppliers.
To choose the most appropriate variant of the new strategy for Chipotle, it is important to note that the diverse and competitive market provides the great choice of any food according to unique recipes. That is why, the strategy should contribute to the further increase of the customer loyalty. Moreover, referring to the SWOT Matrix, it is necessary to pay attention to the fact that the most effective and realistic strategies should be based on the analysis of the company’s strengths and opportunities.
To receive the definite advantage over the competitors within the industry, it is necessary to respond to the customers’ interests and expectations. The promotion of the “Food with Integrity” mission in its connection with the healthy lifestyle trends, basing on the social media, can be discussed as the effective strategy to attract more customers.
It is necessary to focus on the traditional principles of the “Food with Integrity” mission, basing on the company’s classical healthy and organic food popular with the public. The accents should be shifted to the accentuation of the associated charity programs, fitness programs, and health programs. The community’s health and welfare can become the company’s main focus.
The implementation plan should include such stages as the statement of the food’s costs and the percentage used for charity, the connection of healthy food and public fitness programs, the control of the public’s health with the help of special equipment, and the focus on the environment sustainability in connection with the organic food. The possible obstacles are the immediate increase of costs which will be overcome and competitors’ imitations.
The ethical implications of the strategy are closely associated with the question of social responsibility. Following the proposed program, the company can not only attract more customers but also meet the needs of the community and respond to the environmental issues.