Did you know that Chipotle has an Asian side project called ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen?
The separate chain, which typically offers menu items such as rice bowls, salads, and noodles is currently testing some new food creations for its customers to enjoy… and they resemble Chipotle’s Tex-Mex style of cuisine a whole lot.
Per Nation’s Restaurant News, Chris Arnold, the communications director for ShopHouse parent Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc., confirmed that ShopHouse will be testing wraps at four units, including its original location in Washington, D.C., because guests were bringing in tortillas from Chipotle and asking employees to wrap their ShopHouse orders up like a burrito.
In an email to Eater, Arnold wrote: "They'd bring in tortillas (some from nearby Chipotles) and ask if we could wrap the ShopHouse ingredients burrito-style. Our ShopHouse team taste-tested that hack and really liked it, so they decided to give it a try."
Of course, the chain has opted to call the new menu item a “wrap” instead of a burrito, likely in order to maintain some semblance of distance between its Asian cuisine and Chipotle’s Tex-Mex flare.
According to Eater, the restaurants have been testing the wraps for around three weeks now, to positive feedback.
Says one employee to Eater: “A lot of people, returning customers, come in and they already know what they want, and they don't even look at the menu.”
Sales are continuing to increase as more and more diners become aware of the wrap's existence.