Chipotle二季度同店销售超预期并上调全年同店销售指引

Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. raised its annual guidance after bringing back its popular honey chicken and overhauling its rewards program.

The chain now expects sales from locations open at least 13 months to rise in the low single-digit range this year, Chipotle said Wednesday. An earlier forecast called for the metric, known as comparable sales, to be about flat.

That measure climbed 2.2% in the second quarter, the company said, surpassing the average of estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Earnings per share were 33 cents, also ahead of expectations.

The shares rose 6.5% at 4:16 p.m. in extended trading in New York.

Chipotle’s gains are “pretty broad-based” across all ages and income cohorts, though the company’s strategy of introducing new menu items and revamping its rewards program is especially resonating with Gen Z diners, Chief Financial Officer Adam Rymer said in an interview.

The chain’s popular lime sauce and chipotle honey chicken in particular “are having an outsized impact on those groups,” Rymer said, as well as promotions tied to the FIFA World Cup. “We’re speaking to their language, so to speak.”

The results show that Chipotle is making inroads in winning over diners who’d complained its meals were too expensive and service was subpar, issues that triggered sales declines in recent quarters. Profitability had also taken a hit.

This was especially true for young people, a critical group for fast-casual restaurants. Last year, when younger consumers bristled at the increasingly steep menu prices at Chipotle and its peers, the companies cut their financial targets multiple times.

Chipotle has focused on trying to persuade customers that its prices are justified. Its strategy has included advertising the quality of its ingredients, touting the amount of protein its meals can pack and promoting snacking options, such as its $4 protein cup or a single chicken taco for $3.50.

Those initiatives have helped draw customers in on more occasions during the day without sacrificing purchases of full meals, Rymer said. “It’s not a story of of a trade-down or anything along those lines,” he added.

The chain is also offering more menu specials. In the second quarter, it reintroduced its honey chicken, which set records for a Chipotle limited-time offer when it launched in 2025. Chipotle coupled that with a revamped points system featuring freebies and challenges to get customers in the store more often.

Looking ahead, the company plans to continue executing four limited-time protein offers per year, while also focusing on sauces like its red chimichurri that complement other menu items, Rymer said.

Behind the scenes, Chipotle is rolling out equipment such as a dual-sided grill and a higher-capacity fryer to speed up preparation and make food more consistent, as well as retraining workers on order accuracy and customer service.

Chipotle’s turnaround plan has required investment that is increasing some costs in the business. The firm has upgraded kitchen equipment at around 1,000 restaurants, with plans to double that number by the end of the year, Rymer said. Meanwhile labor costs rose slightly as a percentage of total revenue due to high employee compensation and additional restaurant labor to support operations, according to the statement.

Last quarter, adjusted earnings per share were flat from the same period in 2025, the company said.

Chipotle is also dealing with persistent beef inflation, which is still up a low-double-digit percent with few mitigation options available. “We’re looking at it more as kind of a new normal at least for the medium-term,” Rymer said.

Industrywide, fast-food chains have been reeling from an outbreak of Cyclospora. Chipotle’s supply chain has been unaffected by the parasite, but restaurants did see a “modest impact” to visitations this month due to social media attention and safety concerns, Rymer said.

The chain has also seen “subtle changes” with customers ordering slightly fewer salads, Rymer said. The company has also educated restaurant staff on how to respond to questions, noting that its greens are sourced from the US rather than Mexico where impacted supplies have been linked.