Orbital Insights Says Chipotle Store Car Counts In q2 Grew 10% YoY

Chipotle

stores in the United States have seen a substantial increase in car traffic since the company announced its decision to remove genetically modified organisms (GMOs) from its menu in April 2015. According to the most recent analysis from Orbital Insight, car counts in Chipotle store parking lots for the second quarter of 2015 are 10 percent higher than the same period in 2014, and 15 percent higher than the five-year average of car counts for Chipotle locations nationwide. The image below compares car counts in the second quarter of 2014 and 2015 to demonstrate the increase in traffic, which has been particularly notable since Chipotle announced its intent to stop using GMOs. This was first reported in the NYT on April 26th and a jump in YoY traffic is visible on the two charts. Orbital Insight tracks car counts for more than 50 retail and restaurant chains by analyzing satellite imagery of parking lots nationwide. Extensive media coverage of Chipotle's stance on GMOs, combined with rising consumer concern about the use of GMOs in food, may have contributed to the increase in vehicle traffic at Chipotle stores. For more information on Orbital Insight and Chipotle car counts, contact Kyle Arteaga at The Bulleit Group at kyle@bulleitgroup.com or 415-218-5569.