Chipotle | Net Lease Advisor (2024)

Pros

• Ground lease eliminates landlord responsibilities
• Fast-casual restaurant (fastest growing segment of the restaurant industry)
• Lease terms are generally 15 year NNN Ground Lease

Cons

• No credit rating
• Tough competition
• Ground Leases don't allow for depreciation

• Total revenue increased 13.6% to $2.5 billion
• Comparable restaurant sales increased 7.4%
• Operating margin was 17.2%, an increase from 15.3%

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Chipotle is a restaurant committed to the idea that food served fast didn’t have to be a “fast-food” experience.” Chipotle serves a variety of Mexican dishes, such as burritos and taco assembled right in front of you.

Chipotle is a highly sought after brand. There is great demand for their freestanding stores as net lease investments. The properties are well located near major shopping centers, university and college campuses, and business centers. Chipotle typically features a 2,000 - 3,500 square foot building, and are usually situated on 0.50 - 1.00 acres of land. Chipotle net lease properties provide a long-term investment with no property management responsibilities. Generally the lease term is a 15-year NNN Ground Lease with four, five-year options with 7-12% increases every 5 years. Chipotle leases are corporately guaranteed. Chipotle's sales growth over the last decade was one of the highest across the "quick service/fast casual" segments. The chain was growing fast in part because of the rising popularity of Mexican food.

Chipotle uses high-quality raw ingredients, classic cooking methods, and distinctive interior design--features that are more frequently found in the world of fine dining, in their food served fast model. When Chipotle opened, there wasn't an industry category to describe what the company was doing. Over 25 years and 2,452 restaurants later, Chipotle competes in a category of dining now called "fast-casual," the fastest growing segment of the restaurant industry. Customers expect food quality that's more in line with full-service restaurants, coupled with the speed and convenience of fast food.

Chipotle tries to do a few things really well. The company elevates basic raw ingredients into food that's richer and more sophisticated through their recipes and cooking techniques. Similarly, Chipotle's restaurant design transforms simple materials in distinctive ways, giving their restaurants a style that's more architectural in nature and less dependent on standardized design elements. Chipotle's focus has always been on using higher-quality ingredients and cooking techniques to make great food accessible to all people at reasonable prices.