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Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc.: Q2 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q2 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 29 July 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 3 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Revenue rose 9.3% to $3.3 billion: Growth came mainly from new restaurant openings, with comparable restaurant sales contributing a smaller share of the increase. Source
  • Operating margin fell to 15.7%: Income from operations was $525.6 million, against $559.1 million a year earlier, with the margin at 15.7% of revenue compared with 18.2%. Source
  • Net income and EPS both flat: Net income was $403.5 million against $436.1 million a year earlier. Adjusted net income was $418.9 million against $450.4 million, and adjusted EPS stayed at $0.33. Source
  • Food costs rose on beef and freight: Food, beverage and packaging was 29.7% of revenue, up from 28.9%. Menu price increases and lower avocado and dairy costs partly offset the rise. Source
  • Labor rose on pay, bonuses and staffing: Labor was 25.0% of revenue, up from 24.7%, on wage inflation, performance bonuses and extra restaurant staffing for execution and hospitality. Menu price increases partly offset this. Source
  • Restaurant margin fell to 25.2%: Restaurant level operating margin, total revenue less direct restaurant operating costs, was 25.2% of revenue against 27.4% a year earlier. Source
  • Comparable sales rose on transactions and check: Both transactions and average check rose, and transactions improved for a second consecutive quarter. Source
  • Repurchased $630.7 million of stock: The average repurchase price was $32.55 per share. $1.7 billion remained under Board authorizations at June 30, 2026. Source

“Our positive results reflect the momentum we're building as our Recipe for Growth strategy continues to take shape,”

Scott Boatwright, Chief Executive Officer, Chipotle

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
New restaurant openings SourceFull year 2026350 to 370Kept
Chipotlane share of new company-owned restaurants SourceFull year 2026Around 80%Kept
Underlying effective tax rate before discrete items SourceFull year 2026between 24% and 26% before discrete itemsKept

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance raised: Full-year comparable restaurant sales guidance moved from about flat to low single digit growth. Source
  • New: The Board approved an additional $1.3 billion of share repurchase authorization on June 11, 2026. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Revenue rose 9.3% to $3.3 billion: Growth came mainly from new restaurant openings, with comparable restaurant sales contributing a smaller share of the increase. Source
  • Operating margin fell to 15.7%: Income from operations was $525.6 million, against $559.1 million a year earlier, with the margin at 15.7% of revenue compared with 18.2%. Source
  • Net income and EPS both flat: Net income was $403.5 million against $436.1 million a year earlier. Adjusted net income was $418.9 million against $450.4 million, and adjusted EPS stayed at $0.33. Source

Restaurant base and partner units

  • Company-owned base reached 4,186: The company-owned restaurant count stood at 4,186 at June 30, 2026, up from 3,839 a year earlier, as openings outpaced closures. Source
  • Partner-operated count rose to 15: Partner-operated restaurants totalled 15 at quarter end, up from 5 a year earlier. One international partner-operated restaurant opened in the quarter. Source
  • Restaurants in six markets: Restaurants operate across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and the Middle East, over 4,200 in total at June 30, 2026. Source
  • Pre-opening and impairment costs rose: Pre-opening costs were $16.4 million against $10.6 million. Impairment, closure costs and asset disposals were $13.8 million against $5.5 million. Source

“These efforts are building a stronger business and reinforcing our confidence in Chipotle's ability to deliver sustainable long-term growth and shareholder value.”

Scott Boatwright, Chief Executive Officer, Chipotle

Products, digital and Chipotlanes

  • Digital channels rose as a share: Digital sales rose year over year as a share of total food and beverage revenue for the three months ended June 30, 2026. Source
  • Chipotlanes in most openings: Of the quarter's company-owned openings, 80 included a Chipotlane. Management says Chipotlanes help guest access, convenience, new restaurant sales, margins and returns. Source
  • Named growth drivers for the strategy: Management cited menu innovation, deeper Chipotle Rewards engagement, hospitality in every restaurant and more group occasions as the growth drivers. Source

Costs and restaurant expenses

  • Food costs rose on beef and freight: Food, beverage and packaging was 29.7% of revenue, up from 28.9%. Menu price increases and lower avocado and dairy costs partly offset the rise. Source
  • Labor rose on pay, bonuses and staffing: Labor was 25.0% of revenue, up from 24.7%, on wage inflation, performance bonuses and extra restaurant staffing for execution and hospitality. Menu price increases partly offset this. Source
  • G&A rose on legal and bonus costs: G&A was $190.5 million against $172.2 million. Adjusted G&A, excluding restructuring, legal and retention items, was $176.2 million against $159.9 million. Source
  • Occupancy and other operating costs rose: Occupancy was 5.2% of revenue against 5.0%, and other operating costs were 14.9% against 14.0%. The release does not give drivers for these two lines. Source

Margins, pricing and tax

  • Restaurant margin fell to 25.2%: Restaurant level operating margin, total revenue less direct restaurant operating costs, was 25.2% of revenue against 27.4% a year earlier. Source
  • Menu price increases partly offset costs: Menu price increases offset part of the food and labor cost rise. The release does not quantify the size of the price effect. Source
  • Tax rate eased to 24.3%: The effective tax rate was 24.3% against 24.5%. Higher federal tax credits lowered it, partly offset by smaller tax benefits from stock option exercises and equity vesting. Source

Demand and sales trends

  • Comparable sales rose on transactions and check: Both transactions and average check rose, and transactions improved for a second consecutive quarter. Source
  • Comparable sales positive in three of four quarters: In the unit table, comparable sales were positive in three of the last four quarters, with a decline of (2.5%) in the quarter ended December 31, 2025. Source
  • Average restaurant sales were $3,102 thousand: Average restaurant sales were $3,102 thousand, against $3,142 thousand a year earlier and $3,094 thousand in the first quarter. Source

Capital, cash and shareholder returns

  • Repurchased $630.7 million of stock: The average repurchase price was $32.55 per share. $1.7 billion remained under Board authorizations at June 30, 2026. Source
  • Six-month operating cash flow reached $1.33 billion: Net cash from operating activities was $1,332.0 million for the six months, against $1,118.4 million. Leasehold and equipment purchases were $397.6 million, against $305.4 million. Source
  • Cash and investments declined: Cash and cash equivalents were $228.2 million at June 30, 2026, against $350.5 million at December 31, 2025. Investments totalled $546.7 million. Source

Strategy, people and asset items

  • Recipe for Growth restructuring cost $3.3 million: The restructuring cost covered severance, recruitment, third-party and stock-based items, and is excluded from adjusted results. Source
  • Restaurant impairment excluded from adjusted results: A $3.9 million restaurant asset impairment was excluded from adjusted results. It relates to closures, relocations or underperforming restaurants. Source
  • Retention awards tied to CEO departure: Stock-based compensation for these retention awards was $0.9 million this quarter, and it is excluded from adjusted results. Source
  • Workforce of nearly 140,000: The company reports nearly 140,000 employees, against over 135,000 in the April 29, 2026 release. Source

Coming up, as management said on 29 July 2026

  • Quarter-to-date update on the call: The July 29, 2026 call at 4:30 PM Eastern will include a business update for the third quarter to date. Source
  • Form 10-Q to follow: Further detail will be in the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, which management says will be filed with the SEC under applicable rules. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Comparable restaurant sales Source+2.2%
Traffic (transactions) Source+1.0%
Average ticket (average check) Source+1.2%
Inventory Source$46,622 thousand at June 30, 2026
Store openings and closings Source100 opened; 3 permanent closures
E-commerce share (digital sales) Source38.3% of food and beverage revenue

Risks management discussed

  • Operational: Higher pay, wage inflation, performance bonuses and added staffing for execution and hospitality raised labor costs this quarter. Source
  • External: Inflation in beef and freight, plus higher protein and produce usage, raised food, beverage and packaging costs as a share of revenue. Source
  • Regulatory: Legal matters carried a $10.0 million estimated liability in G&A, for matters expected to exceed typical legal costs. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Not stated: Management ties quarterly results to progress on the Recipe for Growth strategy. The release does not state progress against a dated target. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.