Chipotle Is Opening a New Restaurant Concept, Farmesa
The menu is all about fresh ingredients and bowl customization.
Photo courtesy of Farmesa
Chipotle is launching a new restaurant — and it’s all about the bowl beyond the burrito.
Farmesa, the result of a partnership between the fast-casual Mexican chain and Kitchen United Mix, just opened its first location at Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade in Southern California. Its menu is designed to maximize meal-in-a-bowl customization and the mixing to order of fresh ingredients: proteins, greens, grains and vegetables.
Curated by James Beard Award winner and Food Network veteran chef Nate Appleman, who serves as the new restaurant’s director of culinary innovation and previously headed menu innovations at Chipotle, Farmesa’s menu will be an eclectic mix of bowls featuring a protein, green or grain; two sides; any of five sauces and an optional topping. The bowls will be priced between $11.95 and $16.95.
Initially offering a limited menu and shortened hours before an official broader roll-out in March, Farmesa will help Chipotle test and optimize new restaurant concepts. Eventually, the full menu will include items such as Classic Santa Maria-Style Grilled Tri-Tip Steak, Everything Spice-Crusted Ora King Salmon, Whipped Potatoes, Golden Beets, Sprouted Cauliflower and Sweet Potato Chips. The drink lineup will feature water both still and sparkling and organic beverages from Tractor Beverage Co.
“One of our strategic objectives is to create or invest in emerging culinary spaces and restaurant concepts that fit within Chipotle’s food with integrity mission and make fresh food daily,” Brian Niccol, chairman and CEO of Chipotle, says in a statement.
Located within the Kitchen United Mix food hall, Farmesa will feature a system in which customers can place an order at a kiosk on site, via kitchenunited.com/santamonica, or (for pickup and delivery) through third-party apps like DoorDash and Uber Eats. Nate Lawton, vice president of new ventures at Chipotle, says the varied, high-tech approach will allow the restaurant team to “reach a large number of consumers, learn quickly, and evolve our concept and menu so that we can deliver on our goals before expanding.”
Niccol adds that Chipotle is “excited to test and learn” from this first location of Farmesa before determining “a broader rollout strategy.”
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