Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. said Thursday that continued strong online sales, customers returning to its restaurants and the success of new menu items like brisket contributed to a strong quarter that beat expectations.
The company is seeing momentum in online sales, which grew 8.6% to $840 million, accounting for 42.8% of revenue. Chief Executive Brian Niccol said on the company’s earnings call that digital sales are up to nearly $2.7 billion so far this year, nearly catching up with $2.8 billion in online sales last year.
“I wish all our restaurants were fully staffed, and I know we’re missing sales because not all of them are fully staffed,” Niccol said.