As restaurants try to find ways to remain competitive while consumers can't or won't dine-in, Chris Brandt, chief marketing officer at Chipotle Mexican Grill, said his company's investments in technology have allowed it to flourish amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The fast-food chain recently built its 100th 'Chipotlane,' where customers place an order online or through the mobile app and pick it up at a drive-thru window.
"Those investments we made in the past really paid off during the pandemic. The usage of our delivery on our app has tripled and our app usage, in general, has doubled," Brandt added.
The rising popularity of Chipotlanes couldn’t come at a more perfect time as it provides a means of reducing the risk of coronavirus spreading, but according to Brandt, cleanliness, and customer/employee safety were always priorities.
"We already had a lot of industry-leading safety measures before the pandemic. We were doing wellness checks. We were providing sick leave for employees. So, clearly with COVID, we've ramped that up," he said.
While the cost of building a Chipotle with a drive-thru lane is more costly than a traditional store, the popularity of Chipotlanes makes the initial burden worth the cost, Brandt said.
"We've seen, definitely, an increase in sales that more than offset the increased cost of having a Chipotlane," he explained.
And if customers were hoping for a more traditional drive-thru experience with a menu board and loudspeaker, Brandt said that idea is a thing of the past.
"That really slows things down," he said. "With everybody having at least one mobile phone these days, it just seems kind of like the old-school way to do it."
In addition to Chipotle's 100th Chipotlane, the company is also testing a menu expansion with cauliflower rice. For Brandt, it's all about "added convenience," understanding what a customer needs, and listening to consumer suggestions. Not only does that include making their experience as smooth and effortless as possible, he said, but also continuing to provide options that meet lifestyle needs.
"It was one of the top three things people requested," Brandt said. "If all goes well with the test markets and it goes well, not only from the consumer standpoint but operationally something that is executed well, then you can look to see nationally at some point down the road."
A big-screen adaptation of the anime “Chainsaw Man” has topped the North American box office, beating a Springsteen biopic and “Black Phone 2.” The movie earned $17.25 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend. “Black Phone 2” fell to second place with $13 million. Two new releases, the rom-com “Regretting You” and “Springsteen — Deliver Me From Nowhere,” earned $12.85 million and $9.1 million, respectively. “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc” is based on the manga series about a demon hunter. It's another win for Sony-owned Crunchyroll, which also released a “Demon Slayer” film last month that debuted to a record $70 million.
The Federal Aviation Administration says flights departing for Los Angeles International Airport were halted briefly due to a staffing shortage at a Southern California air traffic facility. The FAA issued a temporary ground stop at one of the world’s busiest airports on Sunday morning soon after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted that travelers would see more flights delayed as the nation’s air traffic controllers work without pay during the federal government shutdown. The hold on planes taking off for LAX lasted an hour and 45 minutes and didn't appear to cause continued problems. The FAA said staffing shortages also delayed planes headed to Washington, Chicago and Newark, New Jersey on Sunday.
Boeing workers at three Midwest plants where military aircraft and weapons are developed have voted to reject the company’s latest contract offer and to continue a strike that started almost three months ago. The strike by about 3,200 machinists at the plants in the Missouri cities of St. Louis and St. Charles, and in Mascoutah, Illinois, is smaller in scale than a walkout last year by 33,000 Boeing workers who assemble commercial jetliners. The president of the International Association of Machinists says Sunday's outcome shows Boeing hasn't adequately addressed wages and retirement benefits. Boeing says Sunday's vote was close with 51% of union members opposing the revised offer.
The stunning indictment that led to the arrest of more than 30 people — including Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and other NBA figures — has drawn new scrutiny of the booming business of sports betting in the U.S. The multibillion-dollar industry has made it easy for sports fans — and even some players — to wager on everything from the outcome of games to that of a single play with just a few taps of a cellphone. But regulating the rapidly-growing industry has proven to be a challenge. Professional sports leagues’ own role in promoting gambling has also raised eyebrows.
Tesla, the car company run by Elon Musk, reported Wednesday that it sold more vehicles in the past three months after boycotts hit hard earlier this year, but profits still fell sharply. Third-quarter earnings fell to $1.4 billion, from $2.2 billion a year earlier. Excluding charges, per share profit of 50 cents came in below analysts' estimate. Tesla shares fell 3.5% in after-hours trading. Musk said the company's robotaxi service, which is available in Austin, Texas, and San Francisco, will roll out to as many as 10 other metro areas by the end of the year.
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