Chipotle Launches New Concept, Farmesa

From the people who encouraged you to pay extra for guac comes a new fast casual concept centered on greens and fresh ingredients.

Chipotle Mexican Grill announced on February 15 that the international restaurant chain is opening a new restaurant called Farmesa

Farmessa will soft open at Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, California this February before its official launch in March. The concept is not dissimilar from Chipotle, serving bowls built with proteins, greens, grains and vegetables and is a partnership with Kitchen United MIX, a ghost kitchen platform.

“One of our strategic objectives is to create or invest in emerging culinary spaces and restaurant concepts that fit within Chipotle’s food with integrity mission and make fresh food daily,” said Brian Niccol, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “Our New Ventures team, which was created in 2022, developed a unique restaurant concept that uses classic culinary techniques with flavorful ingredients in a fast casual setting that we’re excited to test and learn on before we determine a broader rollout strategy.”

Farmesa’s menu is curated by James Beard Award-winning Chef Nate Appleman, Director of Culinary Innovation at Farmesa. Appleman previously led menu innovations for Chipotle in the mid to late 2000s.

Farmesa will serve a variety of bowls featuring a protein, green or grain, two sides, a choice of five sauces, and a topping option. Prices will range from $11.95 to $16.95 and include dishes such as Santa Maria-style grilled tri-tip steak, everything spice crusted Ora King salmon, whipped potatoes, golden beets, sprouted cauliflower, and sweet potato chips.

To drink, Farmesa will serve drinks from Tractor Beverage Co (a Chipotle staple) along with still and sparkling water.

“Launching Farmesa in the Kitchen United Mix food hall in Santa Monica and partnering with third-party partners for pickup or delivery will allow us to reach a large number of consumers, learn quickly, and evolve our concept and menu so that we can deliver on our goals before expanding,” said Nate Lawton, Vice President of New Ventures at Chipotle. “We believe there’s an opportunity to serve premium, craveable food every day and we’re eager to bring this new concept to life.”

Guests will be able to place an order for Farmesa via onsite kiosks at the Kitchen United Mix space at 1315 3^rd Street, Santa Monica, CA or online. Pickup and delivery will also be offered via DoorDash and Uber Eats.