Interesting! I believe I missed that interview, although a rep told the Times that same year that “sofritas accounts for about 3 percent of fillings.”
I recently learned that Steve Ellis (Chipotle founder) tried predominantly plant-based fast casual in 2024; apparently it didn’t work out (although I’m still seeing a Yelp page?) and this winter he told Eater that “veganism...is very polarizing, I’ve learned.”
In a separate interview Ellis said “I think people will eat more plant-based diets and make that part of their life if there are better options,” [emphasis added], which I agree with. But I basically think that that no single effort is likely to change the game, in part because the most effective interventions are unusually challenging to scale.
(Also, Chipotle tried out free shipping on plant-based options in 2021, which is an intervention I’d love to formally evaluate! But I’d bet that appetite for that kind of thing is lower nowadays. The whole market is a longway from where it was then.)
Interesting! I believe I missed that interview, although a rep told the Times that same year that “sofritas accounts for about 3 percent of fillings.”
I recently learned that Steve Ellis (Chipotle founder) tried predominantly plant-based fast casual in 2024; apparently it didn’t work out (although I’m still seeing a Yelp page?) and this winter he told Eater that “veganism...is very polarizing, I’ve learned.”
In a separate interview Ellis said “I think people will eat more plant-based diets and make that part of their life if there are better options,” [emphasis added], which I agree with. But I basically think that that no single effort is likely to change the game, in part because the most effective interventions are unusually challenging to scale.
(Also, Chipotle tried out free shipping on plant-based options in 2021, which is an intervention I’d love to formally evaluate! But I’d bet that appetite for that kind of thing is lower nowadays. The whole market is a longway from where it was then.)