Dive Brief:
- Chipotle has appointed Scott Boatwright as its permanent CEO, the company said in a Monday press release. Boatwright has been interim CEO since August following Brian Niccol’s departure for Starbucks.
- Prior to his stint as interim CEO, Boatwright served as chief operating officer beginning in 2017. Before working at Chipotle, Boatwright spent 18 years at Arby’s Restaurant Group in various leadership roles, last serving as senior vice president of operations.
- Scott Maw, chairman of Chipotle’s board, said the board undertook a “rigorous external search,” which confirmed that Boatwright was “absolutely the best person” to oversee Chipotle’s next phase of growth.
Dive Insight:
It appears unlikely Chipotle will shift course under Boatwright’s leadership. During its third quarter earnings call, Boartwright said the chain would maintain its current strategy while focusing on operational efficiency — a focus that has set it apart as a same-store sales winner when many brands have hemorrhaged customers.
As COO he was a strong proponent of bringing Chipotlane’s to a majority of the chain’s new builds. Boatwright has also been instrumental in leading technology integration in the chain’s restaurants, building a strong culture in line with the company’s values and strong labor retention that has led to improved outcomes and throughput, the company said.
“The board overwhelmingly believes Scott will deliver on the key strategies in place and position the company for continued success,” Maw said.
Among Chipotle’s top priorities is developing technology to grow labor productivity. During the fourth quarter, the chain began deploying labor-scheduling artificial intelligence. In September, it started in-store testing of its automated makelike, made by Hyphen, as well as Vebu’s Autocado, an automated machine that peels, cores and cuts avocados.
The chain will continue adding expeditors, a staff member positioned in between salsa and cash registers, to its stores. Those workers have improved throughput during peak hours. Chipotle is testing a produce slicer to help employees prep ingredients and is adding dual-sided grills to its restaurants that improve cook times and consistency.
