Coming Soon To A Chipotle Near You: Carne Asada

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. CMG announced Tuesday the addition of carne asada to its menu, marking its first new protein addition since 2016.

What Happened

Chipotle is sticking with a traditional marinade for its marinated carne asada steak, including fresh squeezed lime and cilantro. The new protein will be cut up in thin strips, instead of its traditional steak which is cut into cubes.

The last notable menu addition was in 2016 when Chipotle first launched chorizo.

Chipotle reward members will be able to try the new carne asada as soon as early as Tuesday before the menu is launched to everyone on Thursday. The item will sell until supplies last.

"Our Carne Asada steak is amazingly tender, hand cut, and grilled fresh every day. It performed incredibly well in the test markets and we're excited to be introducing this terrific, new steak nationwide for a limited time," said Chris Brandt, Chief Marketing Officer of Chipotle.

Why It's Important

Chipotle's new food item is part of the company's focus on menu innovation. Carne asada was featured as a test item at locations in Cincinnati and California and attracted a different set of customers who weren't interested in its traditional steak items.

The addition of carne asada is merely "the start of many things to come," CNBC quoted Stephanie Perdue, Chipotle's vice president of marketing, as saying. The executive hinted a white cheese dip queso blanco might be the next addition to the menu.

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Photo credit: Mike Mozart, Flickr