I found this story interesting – Chipotle Mexican Grill, a quick-serve restaurant, has announced that they will only use sour cream and cheese from pasture-raised cows. The company already uses natural pork, chicken and beef at most of its restaurants.
While the majority of Chipotle’s dairy products already are hormone-free, switching to unconfined cows helps to create “not only a much more sustainable agricultural system but better-tasting milk, which makes delicious sour cream and cheese,” said Steve Ells, Chipotle’s founder and chief executive, during a conference call.
Ells made the announcement as Denver-based Chipotle reported third-quarter earnings rose 75 percent to $20.6 million, or 62 cents a share, compared with $11.8 million, or 36 cents, a year earlier. Revenue rose 36 percent to $286.4 million from $211.3 million. Same-store sales, or sales at stores open at least a year, increased 12.4 percent as more customers made repeat visits.
The fast-casual restaurant chain, which Ells started in 1993 near the University of Denver, also announced its first foray outside of the U.S.: a Toronto restaurant scheduled to open late next year. Chipotle has opened 88 of nearly 120 planned new restaurants this year and plans to open another 130 to 140 next year.