'I'll Take Two Tacos, Please': Chipotle Testing Carside Pickup

Casual fast-food chain Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. CMG announced Thursday a new initiative called Chipotle Carside, which offers its menu items delivered to a parked car, although this is far from the first in the restaurant industry to do so.

Order From Your Car: Chipotle is testing a new initiative where clients place a digital order and a Chipotle team member will bring the completed order directly to a parked car. Guests will need to provide a few pieces of information, including car color and type.

Chipotle's offering builds on recent momentum in its digital business. The company said since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, one-out-of-three new customers have tried to order food through one of the digital channels.

In the third quarter of 2020, Chipotle's digital sales tripled year-over-year and accounted for 48.8% of total sales.

Related Link: 3 Reasons Why Chipotle's Stock Could Hit $1,650

Nothing New: Chipotle's program will likely be welcomed by customers looking for more ways to conveniently safely order food. But the concept of the carside pickup option dates back to at least 2005. Dine Brands Global Inc's DIN Applebee's chain offered its Carside to Go service for more than 15 years.

Chipotle is testing the Chipotle Carside at 29 restaurants in California.

(Photo: Chipotle)