Placer.ai: Chipotle posts double-digit traffic gains in Q2

High rents and construction costs continue to make store expansion difficult, but brands willing to shoulder the burden can still triumph.

One of those is Chipotle Mexican Grill, which added 247 locations over the past year. An analysis of the fast-casual restaurant segment by Placer.ai found that chain the saw year-over-year increases in both overall visits (16.9%) and visits per location (9.5%). The brand experienced peak activity in April, with traffic rises of boosts of more than 14% per store and 22% chain-wide.

Chipotle achieved impressive gains in its customer base steadily over the past five years. Between Q2 2019 and Q2 2024, Placer.ai reported, the share of visitors frequenting a Chipotle at least twice a month increased from 22.8% to 29.6%, while the share of visitors frequenting a Chipotle at least three times a month grew from 7.9% to 12.1%.

The foot traffic analytics provider pegs a large part of the credit for this steady performance on the Chipotle Rewards loyalty program that launched in 2019 and today counts 40 million members. Members earn points for every dollar spent and benefit from promotions such as the free delivery Chipotle offered members on National Burrito Day.

Yet even that offer didn’t stop the store traffic from flowing.

“Foot traffic data shows that National Burrito Day, which fell on Thursday, April 4, wasn’t just a day for ordering online,” said Placer.ai analyst Lila Margalit. “It was Chipotle’s busiest Thursday of the year up to that point, with visits up 19.7% compared to a regular Thursday."

Another fast riser in the fast casual restaurant sector last quarter was Sweetgreen. The eatery known for its healthy, fresh food options, saw its chainwide traffic rise by 20%, and its per location visits by 6%.