“Early fast food burger restaurants generally had focused menus”, Chipotle CEO Steve Ells said in a release. The new chain, called TastyMade, will open its first location in Lancaster, Ohio. But it is still fighting to win back customers who abandoned the chain after a series of food safety lapses previous year. “Making only burgers, fries and shakes with really great ingredients, we think we can appeal to peoples’ timeless love of burgers, but in a way that is consistent with our long-term vision”. After filing a trademark application for “Better Burger” earlier this year, Chipotle had noted that it previously said the “Chipotle model” could be applied to a wide variety of foods.
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According to a press release, Tasty Made will take a page from Chipotle’s book when it comes to serving “food with integrity” (although that phrase has been called into question thanks last year’s E.coli outbreak).
This isn’t the first time Chipotle has diversified itself from burritos, with its Asian concept restaurant ShopHouse and pizza joint Pizzeria Locale.
Chipotle has turned to overseas sources for beef that meets such standards, saying the supply is not yet available in the U.S. It’s not clear whether Tasty Made beef will be from domestic or foreign sources.
Chipotle also said it will use fresh-made buns free of preservatives and other artificial ingredients and that its shakes will be made with real ingredients. His background includes stints at high-end restaurants such as A16 in San Francisco and Pulino’s in NY.
James Beard Award-winning chef Nate Appleman and Chipotle national training director David Chrisman came up with the concept. Both are native Ohioans.
The new concept will specialize in burgers, fries, and milkshakes.
Privately held In-N-Out, based in Irvine, Calif., has restaurants in six Western states.
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The company said the new restaurant chain will use “high-quality ingredients that are grown and raised with respect for the animals, the land, and the farmers who produce them”.
