Chipotle Mexican Grill, the quick- service chain of restaurants founded by Steve Ells in 1993, is expanding its beverage offerings at multiple locations with plans for further expansion in the coming months.
Chipotle is best known for its fresh Mexican fare, but craft beer fans know well that a great Mexican food is even better when paired with the right beer. Acknowledging the growing presence of the craft beer industry and the increasing demands for local quality beer from customers, Chipotle is partnering with craft breweries across the United States, offering more beer options with an emphasis on locally brewed favorites.
Early in November, Houston’s Saint Arnold Brewing jumped aboard the growing list, with its award- winning Fancy Lawnmower beer added to Chipotle locations around the city. The addition of Saint Arnold Brewing expands the Chipotle/craft beer partnerships to nine with more to come. The present list of breweries selling beers in Chipotle restaurants through an exclusive partnership includes:
• Boulevard Brewery in Kansas City, Mo. (80 Acre Wheat Beer)
• The Saint Louis Brewery in St. Louis (Schlafly Pale Ale and occasional seasonal beers)
• Mother’s Brewing Company in Springfield, Mo. (Lil’ Helper India Pale Ale)
• 5 Rabbit Cerveceria in Chicago (5 Rabbit and 5 Vulture)
• Widmer Brothers Brewing in Portland, Ore. (Hefeweizen, the Rotator Series and other seasonal brews)
• Hopworks Urban Brewery in Portland, Ore. (HUB Organic Lager and Hopworks Organic IPA)
• Stone Brewing Co. in San Diego (Stone Pale Ale and Stone India Pale Ale)
• Summit Brewing Company in St. Paul, Minn. (Summit Extra Pale Ale)
There are presently about 150 Chipotle Restaurants in the United States that sell locally brewed craft beer, but only a handful of them are the result of the above partnerships. Chipotle management, however, expects this to change very soon.
“We are changing the way people think about and eat fast food by offering better ingredients from more sustainable and local sources,” said Mark Crumpacker, Chipotle Chief Marketing and Development officer. “Like Chipotle’s food, many craft beers are made with quality ingredients and skillful preparation, and they nicely complement our burritos, tacos, salads and bowls.”
Chipotle’s decision to partner with local breweries is perfectly consistent with the company’s own commit to supporting local businesses. The restaurant chain can proudly claim that it served more than 15 million pounds of locally grown produce last year at its more than 1,550 restaurants and it expects the breweries its selects for partnerships to have the same, local- sourcing commitment. This is actually very common in the craft beer industry, as the majority of craft breweries are very supportive of local business and take an active role in their respective communities.
Expect to see more partnerships between Chipotle and small craft breweries in the coming months.
Leave a Reply