Meet me in the Chipotlane. That’s right, Tampa has its very first Chipotle Drive-thru restaurant at 8301 N Dale Mabry Hwy. It’s not a traditional drive-thru, of course. There’s no intercom or ordering window. The designated pickup lanes are for folks ordering on the Chipotle app/website. Just place your order online and roll up at the estimated pickup time.
Florida got its very first taste of the “Chipotlane” back in 2019 when it debuted in Orlando. Since then three others have popped up outside of the main Tampa area. The Sunshine State is home to over 25 “Chipotlanes” with more planned to open in 2023.
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Of the brand’s 174 openings last year, 81 percent included a “Chipotlane,” according to a release. Chipotle’s early pilot tests of Chipotlanes showed customers could roll through in as little as 12 seconds. And now, there are more than 350 systemwide, a number that is set to greatly increase as almost all future Chipotle’s will include this pick up option.
“Chipotlanes are a key growth strategy for the brand,” said Tabassum Zalotrawala, Chief Development Officer, Chipotle. “Our portfolio of approximately 300+ Chipotlanes perform with the highest margins across the board, so we continue to evolve our restaurant design with formats such as the Chipotlane Digital Kitchen to best suit our growing digital business.”
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