Chipotle Expands Locally Grown Produce Program

Burrito Chain Remains Alone Among Restaurant Companies in Commitment to Locally
Grown Produce

DENVER--(Business Wire)--
Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) (NYSE:CMG.B), will expand its local produce
program this summer, purchasing at least 35 percent of at least one bulk produce
item in all of its restaurants from local farmers when it is seasonally
available. This represents a 10 percent increase over last year`s program, the
first of its kind for any national restaurant chain.

Under its local produce program, Chipotle expects to have more than 25 local
farms in its network that will supply some of the romaine lettuce, green bell
peppers, jalapeno peppers, red onions and/or oregano served at the 860-plus
Chipotle restaurants nationwide.

"Our commitment to cooking and preparing food with more sustainable ingredients
has always been about doing the right thing; the right thing for better tasting
food, the right thing for the environment, and the right thing for farmers,"
said Steve Ells, founder, chairman, and co-CEO of Chipotle. "Many consumers are
just now starting to understand where their food comes from and how it`s raised,
but we have known for a long time that there are many benefits to food that is
raised right."

According to a survey commissioned by Chipotle and conducted by Harris
Interactive®, consumers say that sourcing their food locally is becoming
increasingly important for them; half of adults (51%) say that it is important
for restaurants and markets in their local area to purchase produce and other
ingredients from local farms in their area. Additionally, a majority of adults
(52%) are likely to dine at restaurants that purchase produce from farms in
their local area.

"Chipotle is helping to create an obvious demand for local and more sustainably
raised food," said Bill Niman, a pioneer in the sustainable food movement and a
sustainable agriculture advisor for Chipotle. "We hope that by getting more
people to eat food that was grown in essentially their back yard, we will help
generate more interest in eating locally."

In addition to its commitment to serving locally grown produce, Chipotle serves
more naturally raised meat (from animals that are raised in a humane way, never
given antibiotics or added hormones, and fed a pure vegetarian diet) than any
restaurant in the world. This year, about 35 percent of all of its beans will be
organically grown, and all of the dairy (cheese and sour cream) it serves is
made with milk from cows that are never given the synthetic hormone rBGH.

CHIPOTLE EXPANDS LOCALLY GROWN PRODUCE PROGRAM

"Our commitment to using ingredients from more sustainable sources is the best
of both worlds," said Ells. "From a sustainability perspective, we are
supporting local agriculture and family owned farms. From a culinary
perspective, we are using the very finest seasonal ingredients available, and
hopefully creating even more demand for locally grown food. It`s one of the ways
we are changing the way the world thinks about and eats fast food."

About Chipotle

Steve Ells, founder, chairman and co-CEO, started Chipotle with the idea that
food served fast did not have to be a typical fast food experience. Today,
Chipotle continues to offer a focused menu of burritos, tacos, burrito bowls (a
burrito without the tortilla) and salads made from fresh, high-quality raw
ingredients, prepared using classic cooking methods and served in a distinctive
atmosphere. Through our vision of Food With Integrity, Chipotle is seeking
better food not only from using fresh ingredients, but ingredients that are
sustainably grown and naturally raised with respect for the animals, the land,
and the farmers who produce the food. Chipotle opened its first restaurant in
1993 and currently operates more than 860 restaurants. For more information,
visit chipotle.com.

About the Survey

The Local Farms survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris
Interactive on behalf of Chipotle between March 31 - April 2, 2009 among 2,377
adults ages 18+. Results were weighted as needed to reflect the composition of
the U.S. population of adults ages 18+ using targets for region, age within
gender, education, household income, race/ethnicity, and propensity to be
online. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no
estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

Chipotle Mexican Grill
Chris Arnold, 303-222-5912
carnold@chipotle.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009