Chipotle Mexican Grill is bringing back Carne Asada to U.S restaurants for a limited time. The premium steak option will also return to the menu in Canada and make its debut in France, where it will become Chipotle's first new protein introduced in the European market, according to a company press release.

"To bring back Carne Asada to our menu we underwent an extensive vetting process to find more suppliers that meet our stringent Food with Integrity standards," CMO Chris Brandt said in the release. "Our fans love our Carne Asada because they can taste the care and culinary expertise that goes into this recipe from farm to bowl."

Chipotle's more than 16 million Rewards members in the U.S. will get exclusive access to Carne Asada Tuesday and Wednesday via the Chipotle app and Chipotle.com, and from Wednesday through Sept. 27, the protein will be available as a digital-only menu item for all fans via the Chipotle app and Chipotle.com.

Starting Sept. 28, however, Carne Asada will be available in restaurants and across all digital channels including third-party delivery services.

Keeping high standards
Only 5% of U.S. beef meets Chipotle's strict sourcing standards for Carne Asada, which means it comes from animals given no antibiotics or added hormones and that are raised responsibly, Brandt said. To grow its Carne Asada supply chain without sacrificing those standards, Chipotle has taken on a year-long mission to partner with new farmers, ranchers and other suppliers whose practices emphasize quality and responsibility.

Available from late 2019 to early 2020, Carne Asada was Chipotle's fastest-selling new protein launch in history and up to four times as popular as Chipotle's previous limited-time protein offering. More than 10 million fans tried Carne Asada when it was first available, and the brand estimated that nearly half of those customers were first-time guests at Chipotle.

Chipotle has over 2,650 restaurants in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Germany.

Copyright © 2020 Networld Media. All rights reserved., source Industry News