Chipotle’s first location in Dubai doesn’t mess around.
The fast-casual burrito chain opened its first location in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday. The restaurant is in a marquee location along the beachside boulevard at a shopping and dining destination known as “The Beach.” It is over 6,000 square feet and is open until midnight on weekdays and 1 a.m. on weekends.
The location, operated by the international operator Alshaya Group, also represents a continuation of Chipotle's push into the Middle East. Chipotle opened its first restaurant in the region in April, when it opened in The Avenues, Kuwait’s largest shopping mall—the first new country for a Chipotle restaurant in a decade.
Chipotle opened a second one in Kuwait last month. It also plans a second location in Dubai in the coming months with a planned restaurant in the Dubai Hills Mall.
“The early results at the Chipotle restaurants in Kuwait have exceeded our expectations, making it one of the top performing brands in our portfolio,” John Hadden, CEO of Alshaya Group, said in a statement.
Just a small fraction of Chipotle’s 3,500 restaurants are outside the U.S. The company operates 47 locations in Canada, 20 in the U.K., six in France and two in Germany.
Chipotle’s stores in Europe were slow to progress, however, prompting the company to devise a plan to improve unit economics in that region before it clears the way for further growth. Company executives said in July that they’ve seen progress in both revenue and profits since then.
Chipotle said last year that it was working with Alshaya Group to expand in the Middle East and worked to develop those markets, including culinary, supply chain and food safety.
“The feedback from guests is that the culinary and experience is right on par with North America,” former CEO Brian Niccol said in July, according to a transcript on the financial services site AlphaSense. “It also tells me that when we execute our culinary and deliver exceptional experience for our guests, Chipotle’s brand resonates across geographies.”
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