Chipotle to other chains: ‘We’re real, you’re fake’
A rich source of trash talk in recent weeks has been chains’ scramble to serve less processed and additive-laced fare. No fewer than three big brands are claiming they’re winning that race, and they’re not hesitant to disparage any other run for the gold.
The loudest claimant may well be Chipotle, which hasn’t had much else to crow about in the last 18 months or so. Though it doesn’t disparage other clean-label aspirants by name, the timing makes clear who its target is: Panera. “No other national restaurant brand is as fully committed to making better food made from whole unprocessed ingredients accessible to everyone,” Chipotle CEO Steve Ells asserted in his last call with investment analysts.
During the first quarter, “We completed a multiyear journey to remove additives from our tortillas,” a major stumbling block, Ells explained. “Chipotle is now the only national restaurant brand to use no added colors, flavors or preservatives in any of the ingredients used to prepare our food.”
The assertions follow Chipotle’s rollout of an online game about six weeks ago, dubbed "Spot the Imposter," which invites players to highlight where other restaurant chains may be stretching the truth about the purity of their ingredients. Earlier, Ells specifically bashed McDonald’s for announcing plans to strip artificial stuff out of the Chicken McNugget, saying a “clean” version is just not real.
Papa John’s, meanwhile, has claimed it has the cleanest menu—but solely among national pizza chains.