Hey Chipotle lovers, a new menu item will bring a little more olé to your favorite Chipotle dish!
Pollo Asado, a new grilled chicken option, will be introduced to Chipotle restaurants in the United States and Canada starting on March 13 (Canada) and March 14 (U.S.). It is the first new chicken addition to the brand in 29 years. The Pollo Asado is grilled and seared, tossed in a spice blend, tangy marinade, freshly squeezed lime, and cilantro.
The Pollo Asado was initially tested at Chipotle restaurants in Sacramento and Cincinnati, with customer feedback on par with the success of Chipotle’s introduction of their smoked brisket. Chipotle exceeded the growth of analysts’ expectations with their smoked brisket. In the most recent quarter, Chipotle saw a jump of 15.2% in sales compared to the expected growth of 14.8%.
With recent supply chain issues and price hikes of beef, avocados, labor, and transportation, Chipotle CEO Jack Hartung says there is room to raise prices, although he hopes to avoid increases. “We have never had resistance when we raise prices, and we hope to never find out we went a little too far,” Hartung told Yahoo Finance.
Those who want to give Chipotle’s new chicken offering a try will pay about .65¢ more than their original chicken offering, with the average price of a Pollo Asado entreé at $9.11.
Chipotle is celebrating its new chicken with zero delivery fees on Pollo Asado orders made through the Chipotle app and Chipotle.com from March 14 through March 20 in the United States.
“Chicken is easily our most popular protein, with many of our most loyal Chipotle customers ordering it the majority of the time,” Chris Brandt, Chipotle’s chief marketing officer, said in a statement.