Hollis Johnson/Business Insider
Chipotle's tech is changing the chain.
- Chipotle is turning to technology to grow sales, with mobile ordering, delivery, and even a digital drive-thru test in the works.
- The tech investments are changing what Chipotle looks like for customers and behind the scenes.
- We recently visited a location in New York City that has served as a test site for much of Chipotle's new initiatives and saw how tech is crucial to the chain's turnaround plans.
Chipotle is turning to technology as the struggling burrito chain enters a new era.
The chain basically invented the format that became a fast-casual classic: workers preparing food to order in a line, directly in front of customers. The low-tech, straight-forward preparation style helped make Chipotle a major success.
Now, after a two-year sales slump following an E. coli outbreak, Chipotle needs to find new ways to serve customers and convince them to return to the chain. To do so, the chain is turning to tech, with mobile ordering, drive-thru, delivery, and behind-the-scenes changes in the works.
These changes are transforming what it is like to dine at Chipotle. We recently visited a location in New York City that has served as a test site for much of Chipotle's new technology.
Here's what it's like to dine at the Chipotle of the future - and what it says for the brand's turnaround: