The next Chipotle?


As much of the restaurant industry struggled throughout the Great Recession, Chipotle Mexican Grill churned out quarter after quarter of positive results, ending 2010 with same-store sales up an enviable 9.4 percent and further securing its place as a business model to be imitated.


In fact, many fast-casual startups today describe themselves as the “Chipotle of (fill in the blank).” They aspire to duplicate with another type of cuisine the success of the 1,084-unit chain,