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☆ Starbucks' new CEO swears by this 'cliché' career advice
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-09 | by ( Morgan Smith | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

It’s the first day on the job for new Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol, and expectations are high. Niccol explained that he carries a “beat-up notebook” with him to outline and track his progress toward his career goals. Trusting his gut and believing in his ability to succeed, Niccol said, has made the biggest difference in his career up to this point. “There will be times in your career when your gut will be tingling,” he said, noting that he had that feeling when he left Taco Bell to become Chipotle’s CEO in 2018. Niccol used a 5-word phrase in a phone screening with former Starbucks chair Mellody Hobson to illustrate his confidence and preparedness for the job.

Persons: Brian Niccol, Anjali Sundaram, Taco Bell, ”, ” Niccol, Niccol, Mellody Hobson, “, ‘, ’ ” Hobson, ” Hobson, Brian, “ We’re Organizations: CNBC, Wall, Taco, Miami University in, Taco Bell, Starbucks Locations: U.S, China, Miami University in Oxford , Ohio, Newport Beach , California, ’ Seattle

☆ Chipotle and Spirit Halloween are launching a costume collection
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-04 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —Chipotle is already getting into the Halloween spirit. The fast-casual chain announced a costume collection with Spirit Halloween Wednesday, the seasonal Halloween costume store that pops up every year in abandoned storefronts. Two years ago, it posted a fake “Chipotle Fork” bodysuit with the caption “Found ur costume.” Then last year, another fake “Chipotle Napkin” costume showed up on its Instagram. The Chipotle Fork costume, for example, is just a plain black, polyester bodysuit. “Our popular Halloween tradition, Boorito, began with a burrito-themed costume contest and now we’re taking it to the next level with the launch of our first-ever costume collection in collaboration with Spirit Halloween,” said Chris Brandt, chief brand officer at Chipotle in a statement.

Persons: New York CNN — Chipotle, Chipotle, ”, Chris Brandt, Brian Niccol, Taco, Scott Boatwright Organizations: New, New York CNN, Burt’s, Retailers, Taco Bell Locations: New York, Canada, Chicago, Denver, Egg Harbor Township, N.J, Los Angeles

☆ Starbucks is struggling. So it hired fast food’s Mr. Fix-It
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-14 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Brandon Bell/Getty ImagesSo, starting next month, fast food’s fix-it man will work to turn around Starbucks as its new CEO, the company announced on Tuesday. Starbucks’ sales have fallen for two straight quarters. Mobile app and drive-thru orders make up more than 70% of Starbucks’ sales at its approximately 9,500 company-operated stores in the United States. Restaurant analysts say that Starbucks, which has historically done less television advertising than rivals, will use marketing to try to improve customers’ perceptions of Starbucks’ brand and prices. Niccol succeeded adding new menu items to Chipotle, and he will “enable Starbucks to better succeed with menu innovation,” says Charles.

Persons: Chipotle, Brian Niccol, Niccol, carne asada, pollo, Brandon Bell, ” RJ Hottovy, they’re, Bebeto Matthews, ”, Tom Cook, Casey, Mark Lennihan, Cowen, Andrew Charles, Charles Organizations: New, New York CNN, Taco Bell, Starbucks, Investors, CNN Locations: New York, Taco, Chipotle, Mobile, United States

Starbucks is parting ways with its CEO and bringing in the head of Chipotle to lead the coffeeshop chain, as it seeks to revive flagging sales and appease outside investors. Starbucks announced Tuesday that Brian Niccol, who has led the Mexican-style chain since 2018, will take over the coffee giant starting next month. Laxman Narasimhan, who'd been with Starbucks for less than two years, is exiting the company. But in its release announcing the change, Starbucks said Niccol had "transformed" Chipotle. Starbucks CFO Rachel Ruggeri will step in as interim chief executive until Sept. 9, when Niccol officially takes over the top job.

Persons: Brian Niccol, Laxman Narasimhan, who'd, who’d, Chipotle, Niccol, Rachel Ruggeri, Scott Boatwright, Jack Hartung Organizations: Starbucks Locations: Mexican, U.S, China

☆ Starbucks’ CEO is out. Chipotle’s Brian Niccol is taking over
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-13 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan is stepping down immediately after just a year in the role, the company announced Tuesday. The struggling coffee chain has tapped Chipotle CEO Brian Niccol to be its new chairman and CEO, effective September 9. Starbucks’ stock soared more than 13% in premarket trading, while Chipotle’s dipped 8%. Chipotle CEO Brian Niccol is leaving the chain for Starbucks. From ChipotleStarbucks’ struggles reflect consumer fatigue with high prices at food chains, restaurants and stores after years of price hikes.

Persons: Laxman Narasimhan, Brian Niccol, Niccol, “ Brian, ”, Mellody Hobson, ” Narasimhan, Laxman, ” Hobson, Neil Saunders, ” Saunders, Saunders, Narasimhan’s, Howard Schultz, ” Schultz Organizations: New, New York CNN, Starbucks, Elliott Investment Management, GlobalData, Wall Street Locations: New York, Mexican, North America

☆ Are Chipotle Burritos Getting Smaller? Not on Purpose, Its C.E.O. Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-25 | by ( Sarah Hurtes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Chipotle Mexican Grill has built its fast-casual burrito dominance largely on consistency and size. Amid a storm of customer complaints on social media, accusing the chain of serving smaller portions in their burritos and burrito bowls, Chipotle’s chief executive, Brian Niccol, firmly denied that the company’s portion policies had changed. “First, there was never a directive to provide less to our customers,” he said during an earnings call Wednesday. “Generous portion is a core brand equity of Chipotle. It always has been, and it always will be.”Still, Mr. Niccol said the complaints had led him to re-examine Chipotle’s practices across its operation.

Persons: Brian Niccol, ”, Niccol

☆ Chipotle’s CEO weighs in on the burrito bowl portion size debate
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-24 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —Customers on social media have been furious with Chipotle for allegedly skimping on its burrito bowl portions this year. “First, there was never a directive to provide less to our customers,” CEO Brian Niccol said during an earnings call Wednesday. In June, a Wells Fargo analyst ordered and weighed 75 Chipotle burrito bowls with white rice, black beans, chicken, pico de gallo, cheese and lettuce across eight Chipotle locations in New York City. The bowls weighed roughly the same for in-store orders and online orders, but some locations served bowls that weighed 33% more than other locations. Some burrito bowls went to extremes, with one topping out at 27 ounces in one location, and a meager 14 ounces in another.

Persons: Chipotle, Brian Niccol, ” Niccol, pico de, ” Niccols, Nathaniel Meyersohn Organizations: New, New York CNN Locations: New York, Wells, New York City

☆ High menu prices lift food bills
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

In the 12 months through October, higher restaurant prices drove food prices above overall inflation, even as grocery prices were relatively low. For the year, grocery prices rose 2.1%, according to Consumer Price Index data released Tuesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But menu prices were up 5.4%, driven largely by a 6.2% rise at limited-service restaurants, which include fast food and fast casual spots. Many fast food and fast casual places say they’ve seen some benefit from customers trading down from pricier options. Grocery prices rose 0.3% and menu prices rose 0.4% in that period.

Persons: Anthony Behar, McDonald’s, Liu Guanguan, Rice Organizations: New, New York CNN, Bureau of Labor Statistics, BLS, McDonald's, AP, China News Service Locations: New York, California

☆ How Chipotle’s Founder Is Moving Beyond Burritos
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Heather Haddon | Photographs Lanna Apisukh For The Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Chipotle Mexican Grill founder Steve Ells built an empire on chicken and beef burritos made in assembly-line fashion. Now he’s dropping the meat and is adding machines. Ells early next year will open in Manhattan the first location of Kernel, serving meat-free sandwiches, salads and sides made to order. A skeleton crew will run the restaurants alongside robots, making faux chicken sandwiches and sides such as cucumbers with wild rice.

Persons: Steve Ells, burritos Organizations: Grill Locations: Manhattan

☆ Chipotle’s Labor Costs Are Rising. Customers Will See It in Pricing.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Jennifer Williams-Alvarez | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A law in California raising the hourly minimum wage for fast-food workers to $20, starting in April, will increase Chipotle’s labor costs in the state on average by 15% to 20% next year. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesChipotle Mexican Grill is expecting a significant bump in labor costs next year because of a new law in California. Starting in April, minimum wage for fast-food workers in California will increase to $20 an hour, up from the state’s current hourly minimum wage of $15.50. The law applies to fast-food chains with at least 60 national locations and will come as the state’s minimum wage is set to rise to $16 an hour in January. Chipotle currently pays California workers in the high teens, around $17 to $18 an hour, said Chief Financial Officer Jack Hartung.

Persons: Justin Sullivan, Chipotle, Jack Hartung Locations: California

☆ Chipotle says it will raise menu prices because of new California minimum wage
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

“We are definitely going to pass this on.”A company spokesperson later told CNN that Chipotle hadn’t yet decided whether it will raise prices in California. Gavin Newsom in September signed legislation that raises the minimum wage to $20 an hour for fast food workers, and creates a council that can approve further increases in the future. The state’s current minimum wage is $15.50 an hour and will increase to $16 an hour on January 1. The new hourly wage for fast food workers will take effect on April 1 of next year. But workers have said that the higher minimum wage will make a meaningful difference in their lives.

Persons: New York CNN —, ”, John Hartung, we’ve, Gavin Newsom, Chipotle, Anneisha Williams, Jack, Williams Organizations: New, New York CNN, CNN, California ., California . California Gov, Employees Locations: New York, California, ”, California . California

☆ Chipotle is raising prices again
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Chipotle has been raising its prices over the past few years, citing higher costs. In June of 2021, Chipotle said it was raising prices about 3.5% to 4%. So far at Chipotle, the increased prices haven’t scared people off — clearing the way for more expensive burritos. Even companies that have seen customers pull back due to the higher prices reported higher sales, because those higher prices offset volume declines. The snack and beverage company said it increased prices globally by 11% on average, helping nudge revenue higher than analysts’ expectations.

Persons: Chipotle’s, ” Laurie Schalow, Chipotle, “ We’re, ”, Brian Niccol, “ We’ve, ” Niccol, — CNN’s Jordan Valinsky Organizations: New, New York CNN, CNN, PepsiCo, Bureau of Labor Statistics Locations: New York, Chipotle

☆ Chipotle tests a robot to speed up guacamole production
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Ellie Stevens | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Your Chipotle guacamole may soon be prepared by a robot. Meet “Autocado,” a Chipotle robot designed to perform the more tedious tasks of creating the chain’s guacamole, including cutting, coring and peeling avocados. But Chipotle (CMG) said this “collaborative robot” will not eliminate jobs, but, instead, employees will work with the robot to speed up guacamole production. For its design, Chipotle partnered with Vebu Labs, a robotics startup in California, to analyze the preparation process at various Chipotle restaurants and identify the most time-consuming tasks for employees. And Chipotle is already testing “Chippy,” a robotic kitchen assistant that uses artificial intelligence to make tortilla chips to dip in Autocado’s guacamole.

Persons: “ Autocado, Chipotle, Curt Garner, ”, Patrick T Organizations: CNN, Technology, Grill Inc, Fallon, Bloomberg, Getty, ., Vebu Labs Locations: El Segundo , California, U.S, California, Vebu, guacamole

☆ How to make your own salad dressing
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Casey Barber | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Here are my favorite methods and tips for homemade salad dressing from my years of experimentation. Try any of these recipes to get you going:• Creamy Italian dressing with mayonnaise (regular or vegan)• Avocado green goddess dressing• Lime tahini dressing• Miso ginger dressing• Spicy cashew butter dressing, just like Trader Joe’sAs for ranch dressing, I’ll admit: Even though I have a recipe for homemade ranch in my cookbook “Classic Snacks Made From Scratch,” sometimes I can’t resist the craving for the bottled version. However, if you do want to make homemade ranch dressing, it’s not too difficult. Homemade dressing tips and tricksMake your dressing with a blender or food processor to emulsify the oil evenly with the acid. Tetiana Strilchuk/iStockphoto/Getty ImagesTo get a creamier, thicker texture for any homemade dressing, make it in a blender or food processor.

☆ Chipotle’s CFO on Avocado Prices, Inflation and TikTok-Inspired Menu Items
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Jennifer Williams-Alvarez | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Lower-than-expected avocado costs have helped Chipotle Mexican Grill’s margins, offsetting higher costs for other items such as oils and tortillas. Photo: Brandon Bell/Getty ImagesChipotle Mexican Grill ’s shares hit a record high last week after the fast-food chain reported first-quarter results that beat analysts’ expectations. Quarterly and comparable sales were up, and its restaurant-level operating margin improved by roughly 25%. One reason behind the results: avocados.

The short-lived fight nonetheless underscores the lengths at which scrappy restaurant operators will go to chase consumer dollars. For restaurants that have been open longer than 13 months, Chipotle’s sales grew faster than Sweetgreen’s in the fourth quarter. That could explain why Chipotle’s valuation, at nearly 5 times forward sales, is more than double that of Sweetgreen’s. Follow on @sharonlam_ TwitterCONTEXT NEWSChipotle Mexican Grill sued rival U.S. take-out chain Sweetgreen for violating its trademarks rights in a similarly branded burrito bowl on April 4, leading to a prompt settlement. Chipotle had argued that Sweetgreen’s “Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowl” violated its trademark rights.

The short-lived fight nonetheless underscores the lengths at which scrappy restaurant operators will go to chase consumer dollars. For restaurants that have been open longer than 13 months, Chipotle’s sales grew faster than Sweetgreen’s in the fourth quarter. Sweetgreen billed itself as a tech innovator when it first went public and acquired robotic-kitchen company Spyce back in 2021. Follow on @sharonlam_ TwitterCONTEXT NEWSChipotle Mexican Grill sued rival U.S. take-out chain Sweetgreen for violating its trademarks rights in a similarly branded burrito bowl on April 4, leading to a prompt settlement. Chipotle had argued that Sweetgreen’s “Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowl” violated its trademark rights.

☆ Mike Sievert of T-Mobile is the CNN Business CEO of the Year
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Paul R. La Monica | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

T-Mobile’s solid performance on Wall Street was one big reason why CEO Mike Sievert is the CNN Business pick for CEO of the Year. CNN Business spoke to Sievert about how T-Mobile has continued to perform well in a super competitive business. T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert talks to employees at a 2022 company event. That has led to higher expenses, but Sievert said T-Mobile is less worried about inflation than other consumer firms. Prepared for more competitionSievert, who has been with T-Mobile since 2012, took over as CEO in 2020 from long-time CEO John Legere.

☆ Worker complaints alleging anti-union shutdowns rise as organizing surges
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Eli M. Rosenberg | Eli Rosenberg Is An Investigative Tech Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +13 min

The company, G&D Integrated, had closed the factory, saying it had suddenly lost its decade-old contract with a Japanese company, workers said. Starbucks closed multiple stores this year following union activity. Trader Joe’s, for example, abruptly closed a wine shop in the center of New York City where workers had been organizing. Demonstrators protest outside a closed Starbucks in Seattle on July 16. More than 40 percent of the stores had union campaigns, according to data from Starbucks Workers United, the union that has been organizing the workers.

☆ Chipotle’s Increase in Burrito Prices Contributes to Store-Sales Boost
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Heather Haddon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Chipotle says it has raised prices several times in the past 12 months. Chipotle Mexican Grill said consumer demand remained strong for its burritos and bowls even after it raised prices again in recent months, though the chain’s chief executive said inflation is wearing on some consumers. The burrito chain said Tuesday its same-store sales grew 7.6% in the third quarter ended Sept. 30 compared with the same period last year. Higher prices helped drive some of the increase, with its average menu prices 13% higher compared with the same period last year, the company said.

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