Chipotle Slays Another One

By Rick Munarriz – Jun 21, 2013 at 6:10PM

NYSE: CMG

Chipotle Mexican Grill

Market Cap

$81B

Today's Change

(6.61%) $193.42

Current Price

$3,120.18

Price as of April 25, 2024, 3:43 p.m. ET

Qdoba's closing down stores, showing that fast-casual isn't always a winner.

Jack in the Box (JACK -1.00%) stock hit a new high this week after the fast-food chain announced that it would be closing 67 of its underperforming company-owned Qdoba restaurants. The concept seems similar to Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG 6.61%). What went wrong? Why aren't all fast-casual Mexican food operators thriving?

In this video, longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz reveals why Chipotle stands alone, dating back to its pre-IPO days when the concept was smaller than Wendy's (WEN 0.63%) Baja Fresh and CKE's La Salsa.

Wendy's eventually unloaded Baja Fresh. There's more to success than simply the model.

Longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Chipotle Mexican Grill. The Motley Fool owns shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.