Chipotle Mexican Grill has opened its third restaurant in the United Arab Emirates in partnership with Alshaya Group, situated in Yas Mall, Abu Dhabi. This new establishment, which covers 237.7 square meters, is operational from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. on weekdays and extends its hours until 12:00 a.m. on weekends.
The expansion in the Middle East began in April 2024 when Chipotle launched its first restaurant at The Avenues, Kuwait's largest shopping center. This was the first time Chipotle entered a new country in ten years. In collaboration with Alshaya Group, six Chipotle restaurants have now been opened—three in Kuwait and three in the UAE. Another location is planned to open in September at Villaggio Mall in Doha, with more in the pipeline for the UAE and Kuwait by the end of the year.
"We are excited to continue our GCC expansion with the opening of Chipotle at Yas Mall in Abu Dhabi,” said Nate Lawton, Chief Business Development Officer at Chipotle. “This market debut signals another significant milestone in our partnership with Alshaya Group as we bring our responsibly sourced real ingredients to more cities across the globe. We’re thrilled with the response we’ve seen to-date in Kuwait and Dubai and look forward to serving more communities across the region in the future.”
Jeff Kellen, President of Hospitality at Alshaya Group, expressed similar excitement, stating, “We are excited to continue our successful partnership with Chipotle as we open this new restaurant at Yas Mall in Abu Dhabi. The early results from our Chipotle locations in Kuwait and Dubai have exceeded our expectations. We look forward to bringing Chipotle's delicious culinary offerings and menu of real ingredients to more guests throughout the Gulf region, the next being Qatar.”
Chipotle’s international operations include over 60 restaurants in Canada, 20 in the United Kingdom, six in France, and two in Germany. In North America, the company has approximately 3,800 locations and aims for an annual growth of 8 to 10%, with a long-term target of 7,000 locations in North America.
