Problem related to the chipotle

Assignment Help HR Management
Reference no: EM13737966

Chipotle

Sink your teeth into this: a whole-wheat wrap bursting with seasoned black beans, salsas made that morning, and grilled, locally grown chicken marinated overnight in spicy chipotle pepper adobo sauce. Sound like something reserved for the menu of a trendy downtown restaurant? Not anymore. Fast food and "fast casual" are getting in on the game of fresh, local, and in many cases, ethical foods.

The fast food industry in the United States serves up $200 billion in sales annually, and its fast-growing sister is the "fast casual" restaurant. While the definition is still somewhat up for debate, the fast casual style appeals to "current customer needs" by offering "a cheaper alternative to more expensive restaurants while offering customization and quality ingredients," according to Franchise Direct.

In other words, for those folks watching their budget in tough times, yet who still have a hankering for good food without paying for the waiter and tablecloth service, the fast casual is the perfect in-between option. "The fast casual restaurant industry outperformed all other categories of the restaurant industry in 2009,"11 reported Franchise Direct, and this fact has not escaped the attention of more traditional fast food purveyors. Eager for a taste of the fast casual market's success, Taco Bell recently introduced a "Cantina Bell" line developed by celebrity chef Lorena Garcia, with more upscale ingredients like black beans, fresh avocados, and cilantro dressing. Have a taste for an Angus beef burger smothered in aged cheddar? Prefer sea salt on your hand-cut fries, and an iced latte to wash it all down? Menu items like these are popping up with regularity on the menus of fast food stalwarts like Burger King, McDonald's, and Wendy's.

Pundits have speculated that the new direction of Taco Bell and others may put the heat on fast casual pioneers such as Chipotle, which is based in Denver and boasts a store opening almost every other day. Yet the latter offers something that Taco Bell (for now) does not: a conscience. Somewhat unusually, the company does all its advertising with an internal team, whose research indicated that "75 percent of its 800,000 daily customers came for the taste, value, and convenience of its food." While these numbers are encouraging, what's to say that customers can't find "taste, value, and convenience" elsewhere-especially with the traditional fast fooders stepping up their game? Chipotle needed something more; something that would earn not only dollars, but loyalty.

So Chipotle developed a marketing campaign that targets the soul as much as it does the stomach, emphasizing not just the healthful but ethical aspects of one's food choices. It's been introduced across an array of interesting media: an iPhone and Android game Pasture Pandemonium, currently in development; large-scale sustainable food festivals in cities like Chicago; and a two-minute animated film, Back to the Start, which portrays a family farmer deliberating between factory farming and a more sustainable approach and the wide-ranging ramifications of each choice (the theme song of which is Willie Nelson's rendition of Coldplay's "The Scientist," downloadable on iTunes, with proceeds benefiting Chipotle's Cultivate Foundation). The narrative "humanized the devastating statistic that hundreds of families quit working their farms in the United States every week due to competition from big agriculture," wrote Danielle Sacks in Fast Company. Philanthropy has also played an important role. Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution and the Nature Conservancy are two recipients of over $2 million that the company has doled out in grants. In 2011, the foundation presented its first major award of $250,000 to Farm Aid, which was founded in the 1980s by Nelson and other celebrities to promote family farms.

In 2011, Chipotle's annual revenue rose to $2.2 billion, yet 2012's numbers were not quite as palatable, falling short of Wall Street's lofty expectations despite a quarterly profit increase of 20 percent from a year earlier. Just like the rest of us, Chipotle is struggling with rising food, beverage, and packaging prices, which may force the company to raise prices, a dicey decision during an economic downturn. And Chipotle's aggressive positioning as the sustainable, family-farm friendly alternative to fast food does not allow it to tinker with production costs as much as a Taco Bell or McDonald's might. "Today, even with 30,000 employees, the crew will come in the morning and see all this fresh produce and meats they have to marinate, rice they have to cook, and fresh herbs they have to chop," said CEO Steve Ells,

Many ingredients figure into Chipotle's recipe for continued success: consumer interest in the sustainable food movement, stiff competition from the Taco Bells of the world, and the economic climate within which all these uncertainties marinate. But the scent of change is in the air; some observers have argued that Chipotle's ethical model may put pressure on its competition to follow suit.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1. Is Chipotle a socially responsible organization? Why or why not?

2. Some would argue that Chipotle is not socially responsible because its menu is full of very high-fat, high-calorie items, which encourages obesity. How would you respond to such critics?

3. If you were the CEO of Chipotle, what other socially responsible actions could you take to ensure the success of Chipotle in the long term?

Reference no: EM13737966

Questions Cloud

Six pure types of departmentalization : 1. Identify and evaluate the six pure types of departmentalization. 2. Three variations of divisional structure and one that should be adopted in a particular situation
Aspects of the scripps : From the video, isolate one of the many aspects of the Scripps recruitment and interview process that could be most attributable to Scripps' ample supply of registered nurses when there is a nursing shortage across the country. State how you could..
Majority of large organizations : Assess how the selection process can be shortened for the majority of large organizations (500 plus employees). Support your assessment with two recommendations for large organizations to adopt.
Discuss the efferects of the industrial revolution on life : discuss the efferects of the industrial revolution on life in Houston Tx(transportation,work,living conditions,familly life,business,city design)during the late 1800s /early 1900s.
Problem related to the chipotle : Sink your teeth into this: a whole-wheat wrap bursting with seasoned black beans, salsas made that morning, and grilled, locally grown chicken marinated overnight in spicy chipotle pepper adobo sauce. Sound like something reserved for the menu of ..
Explain the significance of battle of leuctra : What's the nature of our evidence? Who are the ancient sources that write about this battle and are they reliable?  Talk about significance of  Battle of Leuctra? How did each side prepare?
Examine the relevant marketing science of customer behavior : Examine the relevant marketing science of customer behavior for your product. Develop your company's mission statement and company introduction
Blue bay resort and conference center : The purpose of this assignment is for you to apply writing principles while responding to business email. The emails you'll receive simulate internal and external. Assume that you are employed at the Blue Bay Resort and Conference Center. As you ..
Explain the specific historical influences or elements : Explain the specific historical influences or elements for each of the images, and the collection in general.

Reviews

Write a Review

HR Management Questions & Answers

  Discretionary employee benefitsshow your views about

discretionary employee benefitsshow your views about whether discretionary employee benefits should be an entitlement

  Determine the best possible way to leverage facebook

Use the Internet to learn about Facebook, Twitter, and other "social media." Describe how you see the potential of these tools to help in a marketing campaign for a small business, determine the best possible way to leverage Facebook, Twitter, and..

  Relevant legal concepts-describe legal outcome

Analyze the case/scenario using the IRAC structure. In the analysis, identify relevant legal issue(s), analyze and apply relevant legal concepts, describe legal outcome(s), and provide legal rationale for conclusions.

  Discuss the role of data in requirements development

explain the role of data in requirements development. explain which requirements categories need data and what types of

  Concept of organizational effectiveness

Explain the concept of organizational effectiveness, as it relates to the interactions of members. Describe methods used to assess the behaviors and attitudes of organizational members, and apply 1 model in an analysis of your organization.

  Give a general overview of legally required benefits

provide a general overview of legally required benefits including their purpose in

  What additional assistive technology is available that is

all team members should answer each question below and post the answer in the team forum to compare information from

  Overweight and for organizational policymakers

The association between excess weight and higher absences, medical fees, and benefit costs is clear. What is the meaning of this relationship regarding weight discrimination for the many individuals who are overweight and for organizational policy..

  Instructional leadership

HRM and Organisational Behaviour domain field

  Summative assessment business administration

SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION, RISK MANAGEMENT AND FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

  Five common ways that a total rewards strategy can go

five common ways that a total rewards strategy can go astray are listed in the chapter. address each of these

  Greater efficiency and effectiveness of tsa

Explain which of the HR practices described in the case you think contribute to greater efficiency and effectiveness of TSA employees. Why? Recommend at least two other practices which could be employed to increase efficiency and effectiveness of ..

Free Assignment Quote

Assured A++ Grade

Get guaranteed satisfaction & time on delivery in every assignment order you paid with us! We ensure premium quality solution document along with free turntin report!

All rights reserved! Copyrights ©2019-2020 ExpertsMind IT Educational Pvt Ltd