Is Chipotle shutting down? The truth behind social media rumors of the fast-food chain's demise
Social media users had a meltdown last week after claims emerged that the California-based Mexican food chain was filing for bankruptcy and closing locations nationwide.
'I'm still confused on how Chipotle is going bankrupt,' one X user wrote Tuesday in a post seen by more than 4 million people. 'How [the f***] is Chipotle going BANKRUPT?!,' another viral tweet read.
Chipotle spokesperson Erin Wolford swooped in to clear up the rumors once and for all, confirming them as just that: rumors. In a recent statement to USA Today, she confirmed that the information was 'false.'
So, how did the rumors start?
Wolford said the claims 'stemmed from an inaccurate online article confusing Chipotle with a venture it tested in 2023.'
A report published in Unión Rayo, a Spanish media outlet, about the closure of Farmesa Fresh Eatery—a small-scale Chipotle spinoff the company had invested in. The article used Chipotle's logo as its original promotional image.
Farmesa launched in 2023 as a concept for several months in a Santa Monica food hall. It offered 'delicious protein, greens, grains and vegetables that are inspired by Chipotle's Food with Integrity standards,' the chain said in a news release in February 2023.
By early 2024, Chipotle confirmed it would carry the concept forward after its partner closed shop.
Unión Rayo subsequently apologized for the 'false article,' according to USA Today.
Not only is Chipotle keeping its doors open, but Wolford also said the chain is on an expansion drive, with the ambition of 'opening between 315 to 345 new restaurants ' in 2025.
Last month, Chipotle posted its fourth quarter and full-year financial snapshot revealing that the company's total revenue for 2024 was $11.3 billion—nearly a 15 percent increase from the previous year.
However, the chain recently announced that some underperforming locations would be closed. The combination of real announcements and false narratives may have created the perfect conditions for misinformation.
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