A longstanding staple in the American fast-casual landscape is expanding with hundreds of new outposts this year, including its first foray into South Korea.
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Chipotle will expand its footprint by between 350 and 370 locations over 2026, it said in a Tuesday press release.
That number includes the 100 locations it opened during the second quarter, 80 of which have a drive-thru lane. The company also closed three restaurants and relocated one over that period.
The chain earlier this month announced its first Asian location in the high-end Seocho District of Seoul, South Korea, via a joint venture with the local firm Sangmidang Holdings.
“Asia represents a significant growth opportunity for Chipotle, with strong demand for variety, convenience and real food,” Chipotle CEO Scott Boatwright said in a statement.
“South Korea, in particular, is an ideal market to introduce Chipotle to the region, and we see tremendous potential to grow from here.”
Chipotle has more than 4,200 restaurants worldwide and is working toward a long-term goal of 7,000 locations.
The company said Tuesday it plans to expand its apprenticeship program to every single location in the portfolio. The initiative, designed to help funnel standard crew members toward managerial positions, is in place at about three-quarters of Chipotle locations. The chain reported that 85% of its managers started as crew members.
The growth slated for 2026 is more ambitious than Chipotle’s plans for last year, which included between 285 and 315 new restaurants.
While Chipotle and its fast-casual counterparts like Cava and Sweetgreen are lunch mainstays for urban office workers, the Mexican American chain has also found success in the rural U.S.
Chipotle plotted 800 new small-town locations in July 2023 after it found that four of its five top performers in the year prior were in markets with roughly 40,000 residents or fewer.
The chain’s founder, Steve Ellis, opened the first location in Denver in 1993. The company was incorporated in Delaware five years later and went public in 2006.
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