Chipotle 2009 Annual Report Download - page 7

line, are designed to make the food ordering process intuitive and, we believe, more efficient. And we’re focused
on further improving the speed of service in all of our restaurants, so that we can accommodate more customers
and larger orders without disrupting restaurant traffic. For instance, our restaurants accept orders over the
internet, by fax, online or through an iPhone ordering application in order to provide a more convenient
experience by allowing customers to avoid standing in line. We have installed change machines at the cashier
station in virtually all of our restaurants, and have implemented a hand-held point-of-sale terminal in a small
number of our restaurants which allows customers to pay with a credit card while waiting in line. We continue to
review other equipment and kitchen design modifications to improve the speed of service. By emphasizing speed
of service without compromising the genuine interactions between our customers and our crews, and by
continually making improvements to our restaurants, we believe that we can provide the Chipotle experience to
more and more customers.
Quality Assurance and Food Safety. Chipotle is committed to serving safe, high quality food to our
customers. Quality and food safety is integrated throughout our supply chain and everything we do; from the
farms that supply our food all the way through to our front line. We have established close relationships with
some of the top suppliers in the industry, and we actively maintain a limited list of approved suppliers from
whom our distributors must purchase. Our quality assurance department establishes and monitors our quality and
food safety programs. Our training department develops and implements operating standards for food quality,
preparation, cleanliness and safety in the restaurants. Our food safety programs are also designed to ensure that
we comply with applicable state and local food safety regulations.
Restaurant Management and Operations
Culture of High Performers. We value the individuality of our company, our employees and our customers,
which we believe results in a management, operations and training philosophy distinct from that of our
competitors. We are committed to creating a performance based culture that leads to the best restaurant
experience possible for our customers. The foundation of that culture starts with hiring the best teams in our
restaurants. We make an effort to hire employees who share a passion for food, and who will operate our
restaurants in a way that is consistent with our high standards but that allows each of their unique personalities
and strengths to contribute to our success. We provide attractive career opportunities to crew and managers who
are committed to work hard, provide great customer service and have the ability to lead and empower others. We
provide hands on, shoulder to shoulder training to develop the full potential of our restaurant employees.
Through our language programs that we provide in all of our markets, we teach English to Spanish-speaking
workers, which helps our crew provide better customer service and provides greater career opportunities. This
program helps encourage our staff members to develop skills that will enhance their work experience and enrich
their personal lives. Our best restaurant managers, who run great restaurants and develop strong restaurant teams,
are promoted to Restaurateur and in that role can earn bonuses for developing people. We’ve leveraged our
outstanding Restaurateurs’ leadership by giving select Restaurateurs responsibility for mentoring nearby
restaurants. This provides an opportunity for Restaurateurs to develop in field leadership roles one restaurant at a
time.
Importance of Methods and Culture. Although we have many restaurants, we believe that our departure
from the automated cooking techniques, frozen meats and microwaves used by many traditional fast-food and
fast-casual restaurants helps to set us apart. Our crews use classic cooking methods: they marinate and grill
meats, hand-chop produce and herbs, make fresh salsa and guacamole, and steam rice in small batches
throughout the day. They work in kitchens that more closely resemble those of high-end restaurants than they do
a typical fast-food place. Despite our more labor-intensive method of food preparation, our focused menu creates
efficiencies which allow us to serve high quality food made from ingredients typically found in fine dining
restaurants.
The Front Line is Key. Our restaurant and kitchen designs intentionally place crew members up front with
customers to reinforce our focus on service. All of our restaurant employees are encouraged to have genuine
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Annual Report