Chipotle expands to Essex

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Chipotle is to open its first location is Essex this week having secured a site within Lakeside Shopping Centre.

Set to launch on 5 April, it marks the US burrito brand’s latest venture outside of London.

The group made its UK debut on Charing Cross Road back in 2010 and has previously only opened two sites outside the capital in Guildford and Watford, the latter of which closed at the end of last year.

Chipotle’s UK estate currently sits at around 20 sites.

Each restaurant serves a signature menu of burritos, bowls, quesadillas, tacos and salads.

Chipotle positions itself as serving ‘food with integrity’ that’s free from artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.

It operates more than 3,000 sites worldwide and claims to be the only company of its size that owns and operates all of its restaurants globally.

Speaking to Restaurant last year, Ben Williams, managing director of Chipotle’s European operations, said there’s plenty of space in London and across the UK for the group to grow.

“Taking the time to understand what works and what doesn’t have been important to our strategy,” he said.

“We haven’t been perfect, but we’ve learned from the mistakes we’ve made. We have more understanding about what works and what doesn’t now. We’re in a place where we can look to accelerate our growth.”