Chipotle responds to digital surge with a conducive store design

Chipotle's efforts to ramp up its digital orders has apparently paid off in spades as sales from that channel jumped 87.9 percent during its third quarter. Digital now accounts for about one-fifth of the chain's orders. But when waves of customers arrive at the store after placing orders online, it changes the dynamics of the operation, and so Chipotle is testing a new layout that includes walk-up windows and reconfigured seating. The first of the locations being tested are in Chicago, Cincinnati, Phoenix, Newport Beach and San Diego.