Chipotle: adding the right ingredients for future connections

07 February 2025 — 1 min read

Food Retail

Retail & Consumer Goods

Customer Experience

Chipotle partnered with us to explore emerging food trends, identify new marketing approaches and discover innovative menu possibilities, leading to advertising strategies that authentically connect with younger diners.

Outcome 1: Developed menu innovations
Outcome 2: Enhanced customer experiences
Outcome 3: Created marketing campaigns that authentically connect with younger audience

The challenge

The fast casual dining landscape has undergone a dramatic transformation, with shifting consumer preferences reshaping what diners expect from their restaurants.

Chipotle sought to better understand and adapt to these changes in order to connect more meaningfully with Gen Z and millennial consumers.

The approach

We conducted a comprehensive analysis of the modern food landscape, exploring everything from domestic cooking habits to influencer trends and culinary innovations, using cultural insights, semiotics, and trends research. We complemented this with online journaling among Gen Z and millennial Chipotle customers to deeply understand their shifting category inspirations, expectations and unmet needs.

The value delivered

The research gave Chipotle deep insights into evolving attitudes toward food and dining, enabling them to develop menu innovations, enhance customer experiences and create marketing campaigns that authentically connect with younger audiences.