Until Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) (NYSE:CMG-B) went public last year, it was hard to get investors excited about Mexican eateries. Whether in casual-dining form, like Mexican Restaurants (NASDAQ:CASA), or in a fast-food wrapper, like CKE's (NYSE:CKR) La Salsa or Yum! Brands' (NYSE:YUM) Taco Bell, the idea of investing in a chain serving south-of-the-border eats was Wall Street's equivalent of Montezuma's Revenge.
That all changed with Chipotle. The stock has more than tripled since going public at $22 early last year. It has also trounced market expectations in every single quarter as a public company.
Where does Chipotle go from here? That's this week's question. Ryan Fuhrmann is our bull this week, while Matt Koppenheffer is our bear. Where do you stand on this fast-moving burrito-rolling line? That's what this bout is all about.
Duel on!
- Read the bull argument
- Read the bear argument
- Read the bullish rebuttal
- Read the bearish rebuttal
- Sound off in Motley Fool CAPS
- Vote for the winner
Chipotle has been recommended in two Motley Fool newsletters in recent months. I tapped it as a Rule Breakers recommendation, while Bill Mann went with the more attractively priced, though less frequently traded, Class B shares for Motley Fool Hidden Gems. Both newsletters are available for a free 30-day trial.
Longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz can't wait for a Chipotle to open closer than 25 miles from his Miami home. He does not own shares in any of the companies in this story. He is also part of the Rule Breakers newsletter research team, seeking out tomorrow's ultimate growth stocks a day early. The Fool has a disclosure policy.
