Courtesy of Chipotle
- Chipotle is adding customizable quesadillas, which customers can only order online.
- Chipotle CEO Brian Niccol has said that quesadillas are customers' top-requested menu item.
- Equity research firm Cowen expects the new quesadillas to boost Chipotle's sales by 3% to 4%.
- Visit the Business section of Insider for more stories.
Chipotle Mexican Grill is adding a new customizable quesadilla to its menus Thursday in the US and Canada.
But customers can only order the quesadillas through the Chipotle app or Chipotle.com, a company spokesperson confirmed to Insider on Wednesday.
The quesadilla is the first customizable entrée added to the menu since the chain introduced a salad option 17 years ago, Chipotle said Tuesday in a press release.
Chipotle fans have been begging the chain for years to add quesadillas to its menu. Chipotle's CEO Brian Niccol said in 2019 that quesadillas are customers' top request.
"The hand-crafted quesadilla brings so many new possibilities to our menu, and fans will love exploring fresh flavor combinations through its sides and salsa options," Chris Brandt, Chipotle's chief marketing officer, said in a statement.
Equity research firm Cowen expects the new quesadillas to boost Chipotle's sales by 3% to 4%, analyst Andrew Charles told Insider.
The new quesadilla features Monterey Jack cheese, chicken, steak, carnitas, fajita veggies, and other ingredients.
Chipotle first tested the quesadilla in 2020 as a digital-only menu item in Cleveland, Ohio, and Indianapolis, Indiana, the company said.
The firm believes that nachos will be Chipotle's next digital menu innovation, according to a note it shared with Insider.
In 2020, digital orders made up 46.2% of Chipotle's sales, the company's spokesperson told Insider. Chipotle posted $2.8 billion in digital sales last year.
In January 2019, Chipotle launched Lifestyle Bowls as its first digital-only menu items and later began to plan its second digital food preparation line.