Chipotle’s first ‘digital kitchen’ opens later this month in Ohio

Chipotle will open its first “digital kitchen” later this month in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, the company announced on Friday. The “Chipotlane” location will be smaller than a traditional Chipotle restaurant. It won’t have a dining room (though there will still be patio seating) and will only serve digital orders made through the restaurant’s website, mobile app and platforms like DoorDash. You can pick up your food either through the drive-thru or walk-up windows.

The opening is the culmination of a process that started in 2019. At the time, the company said it would redesign its restaurants to better serve online and mobile orders. That year, Chipotle’s digital business had grown to $1 billion. The pandemic greatly accelerated that trend. Last year, digital sales accounted for more than half of all of Chipotle’s sales. That’s a trend likely to continue as the company opens more online-only locations.