Chipotle CEO: Here's why we won't do a McDonald's-style dollar menu

Don't expect Chipotle (CMG) to tally the McDonald's (MCD) Extra Value repast playbook.

"I don't privation to bash it [dollar menu]," Chipotle CEO Scott Boatwright said connected Yahoo Finance's Market Domination (video above). "Let maine archer you why. I deliberation the worth of our offering is precise compelling. You know, our nutrient is worth, successful my mind, each penny we inquire idiosyncratic to wage for it. I don't privation to devalue our halfway offering."

McDonald's brought backmost its iconic Extra Value Meal offerings successful September 2025 to marque its nutrient —which had gotten pricier — much affordable for cash-strapped consumers.

Chipotle is choosing a antithetic route. The institution gave distant $1 cardinal successful escaped nutrient arsenic portion of a Super Bowl promotion. The codes, disposable to the archetypal 100,000 radical who redeemed them, are valid successful the US done Feb. 12.

Boatwright confirmed to Yahoo Finance that Chipotle gave distant 100,000 meals and hinted that the institution could bash akin promotions aboriginal successful the year.

He added the institution is astir to trial what it's calling a "Happier Hour" to cater to the cost-conscious during meal hours.

"So we person much enactment to bash connected precisely what we'll motorboat successful the test, but we're reasoning thing astir apt little than 10 bucks," Boatwright said connected the upcoming test. "I deliberation it's our mode into truly giving backmost to the assemblage successful a meaningful mode and truly expanding that daypart to bring much customers successful the restaurants."

Chipotle has had a yearlong agelong of being un-Chipotle-like, meaning its net and banal terms haven't been successful high-growth mode.

The edifice chain's 4th fourth same-store income fell 2.5% arsenic it continued to conflict done anemic lawsuit postulation trends amid affordability headwinds. The institution sparked online statement aft Boatwright disclosed connected the net telephone that 60% of its halfway customers marque much than $100,000 successful yearly income.

Its 2026 outlook disappointed the Street erstwhile the institution said it expects income to stay unchanged this year. The Street was looking for an summation of 1.8%.

While the institution signaled a decent commencement to the archetypal quarter, income stay subdued. The institution was unwilling to forecast a beardown bounce-back, arsenic acold wintertime upwind has besides kept consumers astatine bay.

Chipotle banal is down 30% implicit the past year, compared to a 10% summation for McDonald's (MCD), which has been much assertive successful selling new, affordable paper options.

To crook the vessel around, Chipotle plans to present respective limited-time offerings, specified arsenic chickenhearted al pastor. It has besides released a tiny vessel of grilled chickenhearted for astir $3.95 to scope cost-conscious consumers.