*By Jacqueline Corba*
Chipotle's latest rewards program was inspired by its customers, according to the burrito chain's chief marketing officer.
"This is one of the things that consumers have said they want from Chipotle for a long time," Chris Brandt told Cheddar Monday. "It's really a first step for us in terms of digital customization and knowing you as an individual."
Chipotle ($CMG) is launching a new rewards program in three select markets, with plans to roll out the program across the country in 2019. The [pilot](https://ir.chipotle.com/2018-10-01-Chipotle-Pilots-New-Customer-Loyalty-Program), which the company announced last week, will be available first in Phoenix, Ariz., Kansas City, Kans., and Columbus, Ohio.
The program is an effort to engage with customers, but it also aims to drive more digital orders at a time while the fast-casual chain looks to win back customers after a [series](https://cheddar.com/videos/chipotle-cant-escape-memories-of-e-coli-outbreak) of health scares and growing competition in the marketplace.
The pilot also comes on the heals of a recent partnership with delivery service [DoorDash](https://cheddar.com/videos/chipotle-inks-largest-retailer-deal-with-doordash).
"We have done everything possible to ensure that our food supply is safe. You should not hesitate to go to Chipotle, because the food there is safe," Brandt said.
In the last quarter, Chipotle generated more than $1 billion in revenue. Nearly one-third of that [revenue](https://ir.chipotle.com/2018-07-26-Chipotle-Announces-Second-Quarter-2018-Results) goes to food costs as the chain pushes its real, fresh ingredient list.
Whether Chipotle's pilot program creates more foot traffic remains to be seen. The company's [next quarterly report is slated for Oct. 25](https://ir.chipotle.com/2018-08-30-Chipotle-Mexican-Grill-To-Announce-Third-Quarter-Results-On-October-25).
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/chipotle-cmo-on-fast-casual-chains-turnaround-strategy).
Joe Cecela, Dream Exchange CEO, explains how they are aiming to form the first minority-controlled company to operate an exchange in U.S. history. Watch!
A Michigan judge is putting sponges in the hands of shoplifters and ordering them to wash cars in a Walmart parking lot when spring weather arrives. Genesee County Judge Jeffrey Clothier hopes the unusual form of community service discourages people from stealing from Walmart. The judge also wants to reward shoppers with free car washes. Clothier says he began ordering “Walmart wash” sentences this week for shoplifting at the store in Grand Blanc Township. He believes 75 to 100 people eventually will be ordered to wash cars this spring. Clothier says he will be washing cars alongside them when the time comes.
The State Department had been in talks with Elon Musk’s Tesla company to buy armored electric vehicles, but the plans have been put on hold by the Trump administration after reports emerged about a potential $400 million purchase. A State Department spokesperson said the electric car company owned by Musk was the only one that expressed interest back in May 2024. The deal with Tesla was only in its planning phases but it was forecast to be the largest contract of the year. It shows how some of his wealth has come and was still expected to come from taxpayers.
At 100 years old, the Goodyear Blimp is an ageless star in the sky. The 246-foot-long airship will be in the background of the Daytona 500 — flying roughly 1,500 feet above Daytona International Speedway, actually — to celebrate its greatest anniversary tour. Even though remote camera technologies are improving regularly and changing the landscape of aerial footage, the blimp continues to carve out a niche. At Daytona, with the usual 40-car field racing around a 2½-mile superspeedway, views from the blimp aptly provide the scope of the event.
You'll just have to wait for interest rates (and prices) to go down. Plus, this deal's a steel, the big carmaker wedding is off, and bribery is back, baby!
It’s a chicken-and-egg problem: Restaurants are struggling with record-high U.S. egg prices, but their omelets, scrambles and huevos rancheros may be part of the problem. Breakfast is booming at U.S. eateries. First Watch, a restaurant chain that serves breakfast, brunch and lunch, nearly quadrupled its locations over the past decade to 570. Fast-food chains like Starbucks and Wendy's added more egg-filled breakfast items. In normal times, egg producers could meet the demand. But a bird flu outbreak that has forced them to slaughter their flocks is making supplies scarcer and pushing up prices. Some restaurants like Waffle House have added a surcharge to offset their costs.
