Chipotle Bringing Restaurants to Mexico for the First Time

Chipotle (CMG) is bringing its bowls and burritos to Mexico. 

The Mexican food chain announced Monday its partnership with Alsea, a restaurant operator in Latin America and Europe, to open a location in Mexico by early 2026. The chain also said it will begin exploring additional expansion markets in the region.

“We are confident that our responsibly sourced, classically-cooked real food will resonate with guests in Mexico,” said Nate Lawton, chief business development officer at Chipotle. “The country’s familiarity with our ingredients and affinity for fresh food make it an attractive growth market for our company.”

Chipotle in July 2023 signed an international development agreement, its first, with Alshaya Group to open restaurants in the Middle East; they together operate three restaurants in Kuwait and two in the United Arab Emirates, the company said. Chipotle also owns and operates 58 locations in Canada; 20 in the United Kingdom; six in France; and two in Germany.

Most of Chipotle’s revenue comes from its US operations; it had more than 3,600 domestic restaurants as of the end of the year.

Chipotle is expected to report its earnings Wednesday afternoon; in February, it reported fourth-quarter same-store sales growth lower than Wall Street analysts expected. The shares are down more than 20% this year.