CHIPOTLE MEXICAN GRILL INC - Annual Report: 2014 (Form 10-K)

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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014

or

For the transition period from                     to                     

Commission File Number: 1-32731

CHIPOTLE MEXICAN GRILL, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (303) 595-4000

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.    Yes  x    No  ¨

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.    Yes  ¨    No  x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes  x    No  ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).    Yes  x    No  ¨

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§229.405 of this chapter) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.  x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act (check one):

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).    Yes  ¨    No  x

As of June 30, 2014, the aggregate market value of the registrant’s outstanding common equity held by non-affiliates was $11.4 billion, based on the closing price of the registrant’s common stock on such date, the last trading day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter. For purposes of this calculation, shares of common stock held by each executive officer and director and by holders of 5% or more of the outstanding common stock have been excluded since those persons may under certain circumstances be deemed to be affiliates. This determination of affiliate status is not necessarily a conclusive determination for other purposes.

As of January 30, 2015, there were 31,022,319 shares of the registrant’s common stock, par value of $0.01 per share outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Part III incorporates certain information by reference from the registrant’s definitive proxy statement for the 2015 annual meeting of shareholders, which will be filed no later than 120 days after the close of the registrant’s fiscal year ended December 31, 2014.

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PART I

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This report includes statements of our expectations, intentions, plans and beliefs that constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and are intended to come within the safe harbor protection provided by those sections. These statements, which involve risks and uncertainties, relate to the discussion of our business strategies and our expectations concerning future operations, margins, profitability, trends, liquidity and capital resources and to analyses and other information that are based on forecasts of future results and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. Forward-looking statements include our projections of the number and type of restaurants we expect to open in 2015, our expected comparable restaurant sales results during 2015, our expectations for food cost inflation and food costs as a percentage of revenue in 2015, our expectations for changes in labor costs as a percentage of revenue in 2015, projections of restaurant development costs and other expenses, statements regarding the potential impact of economic uncertainty on our business, statements about possible repurchases of our common stock, forecasts of marketing and promotional spending as a percentage of revenue in 2015, projections of our effective tax rate for 2015, and other statements of our expectations and plans. We have used words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “think,” “estimate,” “seek,” “expect,” “predict,” “could,” “project,” “potential” and other similar terms and phrases, including references to assumptions, in this report to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made based on expectations and beliefs concerning future events affecting us and are subject to uncertainties, risks and factors relating to our operations and business environments, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond our control, that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those matters expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Such risks and other factors include those listed in Item 1A. “Risk Factors,” and elsewhere in this report.

When considering forward-looking statements in this report or that we make in other reports or statements, you should keep in mind the cautionary statements in this report and future reports we file with the SEC. New risks and uncertainties arise from time to time, and we cannot predict when they may arise or how they may affect us. We assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statements after the date of this report as a result of new information, future events or other developments, except as required by applicable laws and regulations.

General

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. and its subsidiaries (“Chipotle”, the “Company”, or “we”) operate Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurants, which serve a focused menu of burritos, tacos, burrito bowls (a burrito without the tortilla) and salads, made using fresh ingredients. As of December 31, 2014, we operated 1,755 Chipotle restaurants throughout the United States, as well as seven in Canada, six in England, three in France, and one in Germany. Additionally, our restaurants include nine ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen restaurants, serving Asian-inspired cuisine, and we are an investor in a consolidated entity that owns and operates two Pizzeria Locale restaurants, a fast casual pizza concept, resulting in a total of 1,783 restaurants as of December 31, 2014. We focus on trying to find the highest quality ingredients we can to make great tasting food; on building a special people culture that is centered on creating a team of top performers empowered to achieve high standards; on building restaurants that are operationally efficient and aesthetically pleasing; and on doing all of this with increasing awareness and respect for the environment. We have grown substantially over the past five years, and expect to open between 190 and 205 additional restaurants in 2015, including a small number of ShopHouse and Pizzeria Locale restaurants.

Our vision is to change the way people think about and eat fast food. We do this by avoiding a formulaic approach when creating our restaurant experience, looking to fine-dining restaurants for inspiration. We use high-quality raw ingredients, classic cooking methods and a distinctive interior design and have friendly people

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to take care of each customer—features that are more frequently found in the world of fine dining. Our approach is also guided by our belief in an idea we call “Food With Integrity.” Our objective is to find the highest quality ingredients we can—ingredients that are grown or raised with respect for the environment, animals and people who grow or raise the food.

We manage our operations and restaurants based on eight regions that aggregate into one reportable segment. Financial information about our operations, including our revenues and net income for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012, and our total assets as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, is included in our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes in Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.” Substantially all of our revenues are generated and assets are located in the U.S. For a discussion of risks related to our international operations, see “Risks Related to Our Growth Strategy and Future Expansion—Our expansion into international markets may present increased risks due to lower customer awareness of our brand, our unfamiliarity with those markets and other factors” in Item 1A. “Risk Factors.”

Our Menu and Food Preparation

Food With Integrity. Serving high quality food while still charging reasonable prices is critical to our vision to change the way people think about and eat fast food. As part of our Food With Integrity philosophy, we believe that purchasing fresh ingredients and preparing them by hand are not enough, so we spend time on farms and in the field to understand where our food comes from and how it is raised. Because our menu is so focused, we can concentrate on the sources of each ingredient, and this has become a cornerstone of our continuous effort to improve our food.

In all of our restaurants, we endeavor to serve only meats that were raised without the use of non-therapeutic antibiotics or added hormones, and in accordance with criteria we’ve established in an effort to improve sustainability and promote animal welfare. We brand these meats as “Responsibly Raised ^TM.” One of our primary goals is for all of our restaurants to serve meats raised to meet our standards, but we have and will continue to face challenges in doing so. In January 2015, through an ongoing audit of our suppliers, we identified a pork supplier that was not meeting our standards related to the size and condition of the housing offered to some of the pigs, so we suspended our purchases from this supplier. Without this supply, we cannot get enough pork that meets our standards for all of our restaurants and we will not be able to serve carnitas in about one-third of our U.S. restaurants until we can find additional sources which meet our standards to make up the shortfall. In addition, some of our restaurants served conventionally raised beef and chicken for periods during 2014, and we expect some to serve conventionally raised beef in 2015, due to supply constraints for our Responsibly Raised meats. More of our restaurants may periodically serve conventionally raised meats in the future due to additional supply constraints. When we become aware that one or more of our restaurants will serve conventionally raised meat, we clearly and specifically disclose this temporary change on signage in each affected restaurant so that customers can avoid those meats if they choose to do so.

We also seek to use more responsibly grown produce, meaning produce grown by suppliers who we believe respect the environment and their employees. A portion of some of the produce items we serve is organically grown, and/or sourced locally while in season (by which we mean grown within 350 miles of the restaurant where it is served). A portion of our beans is organically grown and a portion is grown using conservation tillage methods that improve soil conditions, reduce erosion, and help preserve the environment in which the beans are grown. Our commitment to Food With Integrity extends to the dairy products we serve as well. The sour cream and cheese we buy is made with milk that comes from cows that are not given rBGH (recombinant bovine growth hormone). Also, milk used to make much of our cheese and all our sour cream is sourced from pasture-based dairies that provide an even higher standard of animal welfare by providing outdoor access for their cows. Further, we disclose on our website which ingredients contain genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, and we are working to replace ingredients containing GMOs in our food (not including beverages) with non-GMO ingredients. While the meat and poultry we serve is not genetically modified, the animals are likely fed a diet containing GMOs. Because of the prevalence of GMOs in a number of important feed crops, most grains used as animal feed in the U.S. are genetically modified.

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We do face challenges associated with pursuing Food With Integrity. In addition to the supply challenges noted above, there can be higher costs and other risks associated with purchasing ingredients grown or raised with an emphasis on quality, environmental sustainability and other responsible practices. Growth rate and weight gain can be lower for chickens, cattle and pigs that are not fed non-therapeutic antibiotics and for cattle that are not given growth hormones. Crops grown organically or using other responsible practices can take longer to grow and crop yields can be lower. It can take longer to identify and secure relationships with suppliers that are able to meet our criteria for meat, dairy and produce ingredients. Given the costs associated with what we believe are responsible farming practices, many large suppliers have not found it economical to pursue business in this area. However, we believe that in addition to seeking great tasting and nutritious food, consumers are increasingly concerned about where their food comes from and how it is raised. And we believe that as consumers become more educated about better animal welfare and farming practices as well as social accountability, they will foster greater demand for responsibly grown foods in the long term. We believe that increased demand over the long term for the types of meat and produce items we strive to serve will continue to attract the interest and capital investment of larger farms and suppliers. We also understand that we’ll continue to be at the forefront of this trend and must balance our interest in advancing Food With Integrity with our desire to provide great food at reasonable prices. If we are able to continue growing while focusing on Food With Integrity, we believe our sourcing flexibility will improve over time, though we expect that most of these ingredients and other raw materials will remain more expensive than conventionally raised, commodity-priced equivalents.

A Few Things, Thousands of Ways. Chipotle restaurants serve only a few things: burritos, burrito bowls, tacos and salads. But because customers can choose from four different meats or tofu, two types of beans and a variety of extras such as salsas, guacamole, cheese and lettuce, there’s enough variety to extend our menu to provide countless choices. We plan to keep a simple menu, but we’ll consider additions that we think make sense, such as the recent introduction in all U.S. and Canadian markets of Sofritas, our vegan protein option made with braised organic tofu. And if customers can’t find something on the menu that’s quite what they’re after, we encourage them to let us know. If we can make it from the ingredients we have, we’ll do it.

In preparing our food, we use stoves and grills, pots and pans, cutting knives, wire whisks and other kitchen utensils, walk-in refrigerators stocked with a variety of fresh ingredients, herbs and spices and dry goods such as rice. Ingredients we use include chicken and steak that is marinated and grilled in our restaurants, carnitas (seasoned and braised pork), barbacoa (spicy shredded beef) and vegetarian pinto and black beans. We add our rice, which is tossed with lime juice and freshly chopped cilantro, as well as freshly shredded cheese, sour cream, lettuce, peppers and onions, depending on each customer’s request. We use various herbs, spices and seasonings to prepare our meats and vegetables. We also provide a variety of extras such as guacamole, salsas and tortilla chips seasoned with fresh lime juice and kosher salt. In addition to sodas, fruit drinks and organic milk, most of our restaurants also offer a selection of beer and margaritas. Our food is prepared from scratch, with the majority prepared in our restaurants while some is prepared with the same fresh ingredients in larger batches in commissaries.

Food Served Fast … So That Customers Can Enjoy It Slowly. Our employees spend hours preparing our food on-site, but each customer order can be ready in seconds. Customers select exactly what they want and how they want it by speaking directly to the employees that prepared the food and are assembling the order. While we think that our customers return because of the great-tasting food, we also think that they like getting food served fast without having a typical “fast-food” experience. And while our restaurants often have lines, we try to serve customers as quickly as possible. We do this by focusing on what we call the “four pillars” of throughput. The four pillars are having a dedicated expeditor, who works just before the cashier to get drink and side orders and bag to-go orders; a dedicated linebacker, to make sure the serving line is stocked with all our ingredients so the employees on the line can focus on each customer’s order; proper mise en place; and ensuring that we have “aces in their places,” or the best employees at each position during all of our peak periods. When we do this our customers are served quickly without feeling rushed. We’ve even been able to serve more than 300 customers an hour at some locations. The natural flow of our restaurant layout, including the floor plan and the design of our serving line, are designed to make the food ordering process intuitive and, we believe, more efficient. And we constantly strive to improve the speed of service in all of our restaurants, so that we can accommodate more

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customers and larger orders without disrupting restaurant traffic. For instance, our restaurants accept orders by fax, online or through an iPhone or Android ordering application in order to provide a more convenient experience by allowing customers to avoid standing in line. By emphasizing speed of service without compromising the genuine interactions between our customers and our crews, and by continually making improvements to our restaurant operations, we believe that we can provide a high quality experience to more and more customers.

Quality Assurance and Food Safety. We are committed to serving safe, high quality food to our customers. Quality and food safety are integrated throughout our supply chain and everything we do; from the farms that supply our food all the way through to our front line. We have established close relationships with some of the top suppliers in the industry, and we actively maintain a limited list of approved suppliers from whom our distributors must purchase. Our quality assurance department establishes and monitors our quality and food safety programs for our supply chain. Our training and risk management departments develop and implement operating standards for food quality, preparation, cleanliness and safety in the restaurants. Our food safety programs are also designed to ensure that we comply with applicable federal, state and local food safety regulations.

Restaurant Management and Operations

Culture of Top Performers. In addition to our focus on the food we serve, we have a similarly focused people culture with an emphasis on identifying, hiring and empowering top performing employees. We are committed to creating a performance based culture that leads to the best restaurant experience possible for our employees and our customers. The foundation of that culture starts with hiring the best people in our restaurants. We make an effort to hire employees who share a passion for food and who will operate our restaurants in a way that is consistent with our high standards, yet allows each of their unique personalities and strengths to contribute to our success. We believe we provide attractive career opportunities to crew and managers who are committed to work hard, provide great customer service and have the ability to lead and empower a team of top performers. We provide hands on, shoulder-to-shoulder training to develop the full potential of our restaurant employees. We are committed to developing our people and promoting from within, with about 90% of salaried management and about 98% of hourly management coming from internal promotions. Our best general managers, who run great restaurants and develop strong, empowered restaurant teams, are promoted to Restaurateur and in that role can earn bonuses for developing people. We’ve leveraged our outstanding Restaurateurs’ leadership by giving many Restaurateurs responsibility for mentoring one or more nearby restaurants. This provides an opportunity for Restaurateurs to develop into field leadership roles one restaurant at a time. Restaurateurs who have shown they can successfully run four restaurants by developing teams of empowered top performers (including at least one Restaurateur), thereby creating a culture of high standards, constant improvement and empowerment in each of their restaurants, can be promoted to apprentice team leaders.

Importance of Methods and Culture. Although we have many restaurants, we believe that our departure from the automated cooking techniques and microwaves used by many traditional fast-food and fast-casual restaurants helps to set us apart. Our crews use classic cooking methods: they marinate and grill meats, hand-cut produce and herbs, make fresh salsa and guacamole, and cook rice in small batches throughout the day. They work in kitchens that more closely resemble those of high-end restaurants than they do a typical fast-food place. Despite our more labor-intensive method of food preparation, our focused menu creates efficiencies which allow us to serve high quality food made from ingredients typically found in fine dining restaurants.

The Front Line is Key. Our restaurant and kitchen designs intentionally place crew members up front with customers to reinforce our focus on service, and our open kitchen design allows customers to see that we prepare our food fresh throughout each and every day. All of our restaurant employees are encouraged to interact with customers no matter their job, whether preparing food or serving customers during our busiest period. We focus on attracting and retaining people who can deliver that experience for each customer. We provide each customer with individual attention and make every effort to respond to customer suggestions and concerns in a personal and hospitable way. We believe our focus on creating a positive and interactive experience helps build loyalty and enthusiasm for our brand among general managers, crew members and customers alike.

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Restaurant Team. Each restaurant typically has a general manager or Restaurateur (a position we’ve characterized as the most important in the company), an apprentice manager (in most of our restaurants), and we aim to have one to three hourly service managers, one or two hourly kitchen managers and an average of 24 full and part-time crew members. We generally have two shifts at our restaurants, which simplifies scheduling and provides stability for our employees. We tend to have more employees in our busier restaurants. We cross-train our people so that each can work a variety of stations, allowing us to work efficiently during our busiest times, while giving our people the opportunity to develop a wider array of skills. Consistent with our emphasis on customer service, we encourage our general managers and crew members to welcome and interact with customers throughout the day. In addition to the employees serving our customers at each restaurant, we also have a field support system that includes apprentice team leaders, team leaders or area managers, team directors, executive team directors or regional directors, and restaurant support officers.

Supply Chain

Close Relationships with Suppliers. Maintaining the high levels of quality we expect in our restaurants depends in part on our ability to acquire high-quality, fresh ingredients and other necessary supplies that meet our specifications from reliable suppliers. Our 22 independently owned and operated regional distribution centers purchase from various suppliers we carefully select based on quality and their understanding of our mission, and we seek to develop mutually beneficial long-term relationships with suppliers. We work closely with our suppliers and use a mix of forward, fixed and formula pricing protocols, and our distribution centers purchase within the pricing guidelines and protocols we have established with the suppliers. We’ve tried to increase, where necessary, the number of suppliers for our ingredients, which we believe can help mitigate pricing volatility and supply shortages, and we follow industry news, trade issues, weather, exchange rates, foreign demand, crises and other world events that may affect our ingredient prices. Certain key ingredients (beef, pork, chicken, beans, rice, sour cream, cheese, and tortillas) are purchased from a small number of suppliers. For a discussion of risks related to our supply chain, see “Risks Related to Operating in the Restaurant Industry—Failure to receive frequent deliveries of higher-quality food ingredients and other supplies meeting our specifications could harm our operations” and “Risks Related to our Unique Business Strategy—Our Food With Integrity philosophy subjects us to risks” in Item 1A. “Risk Factors.”

Distribution Arrangements. Ingredients and other supplies are delivered to our restaurants by our independently owned and operated regional distribution centers.

Marketing

A great dining experience in our restaurants is our most powerful marketing of all. But there is still a need to introduce our brand to consumers in other ways, and to help them understand what makes Chipotle different than other restaurants. Our advertising and promotional programs, in-store communications, and other design elements all help to communicate something about what differentiates Chipotle from other fast food companies. Whether it’s engaging with our company via social media, participating in our local events or simply eating a burrito at one of our restaurants, each customer interaction affords us an important opportunity to build our brand.

Our advertising has generally included print, outdoor, transit and radio ads, but we also incorporate online advertising into the mix, and conduct strategic promotions that demonstrate our Food With Integrity mission while connecting us to like-minded individuals or organizations. Beyond these traditional channels, we are continuing to explore and pioneer new avenues of branded content aimed at making consumers more curious about issues that are important to us, and explaining why and how we are working to drive positive change in the nation’s food supply. In addition, we continue to generate considerable media coverage, with scores of publications writing favorably about our food, restaurant concept and business.

We also recognize the need for our marketing to evolve, much as we have evolved our unique food and people cultures. To this end, we have been developing more “owned media,” including new video and music programs, a more visible event strategy that includes our “Cultivate” food, music and ideas festivals, and participation in relevant events in markets around the country. Many of these newer programs allow us to tell our

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story with more nuance than is afforded by traditional advertising, and help forge stronger emotional connections with our customers. We have also increased our use of digital, mobile, and social media in our overall marketing mix, giving customers greater opportunity to access Chipotle in ways that are convenient for them and broadening our ability to engage with our customers individually.

Collectively, these efforts and our excellent restaurant teams have helped us create considerable word-of-mouth publicity as our customers learn more about us and share with others. This approach allows us to build awareness and loyalty with relatively low advertising expenditures, even in a competitive category, and to differentiate Chipotle as a company that is committed to doing the right thing in every facet of our business.

Competition

The fast-casual, quick-service and casual dining segments of the restaurant industry are highly competitive with respect to, among other things, taste, price, food quality and presentation, service, location, and the ambience and condition of each restaurant. Our competition includes a variety of restaurants in each of these segments, including locally-owned restaurants and national and regional chains. Many of our competitors offer dine-in, carry-out and delivery services. Among our main competitors are a number of multi-unit, multi-market Mexican food or burrito restaurant concepts, some of which are expanding nationally. Unlike Chipotle, a number of our competitors grow through franchising.

Several of our competitors compete by offering menu items that are specifically identified as lower in fat, carbohydrates, or calories or otherwise better for customers, or targeted at particular dietary preferences. Many of our competitors in the fast-casual and quick-service segment of the restaurant industry also emphasize lower-cost, “value meal” menu options, a strategy we do not currently pursue.

Moreover, we may also compete with companies outside the fast casual and quick service and casual dining segments of the restaurant industry. For example, competitive pressures can come from deli sections and in-store cafés of major grocery store chains, including those targeted at customers who seek higher-quality food, as well as from convenience stores, cafeterias and other dining outlets. These competitors may have, among other things, a more diverse menu, lower operating costs, better locations, better facilities, better management, more effective marketing and more efficient operations than we do. For more information, see “Risks Related to Operating in the Restaurant Industry—Competition could adversely affect us” in Item 1A. “Risk Factors.”

We believe we are well-positioned to continue to grow our market position in existing and new markets given current consumer trends, including increasing awareness and concern among consumers about what they eat and how it is prepared as well as the increasing prevalence of the fast-casual segment. Some of our competitors have formats that might resemble ours, but we believe that Chipotle has become one of the most recognized restaurants in the U.S. We also believe we are known for our focus on having teams of top-performing employees using classic cooking techniques to prepare food made from high-quality whole ingredients in an open restaurant kitchen to create delicious food, as well as our commitment to “Food With Integrity.” We think this unique combination adds up to an excellent customer experience in our restaurants, which we believe represents a significant competitive advantage in the segment in which we operate.

Restaurant Site Selection

We believe site selection is critical to our success and thus we devote substantial time and effort to evaluating each potential location. Our site selection process includes the use of external real estate brokers with expertise in specific markets, taking direction from our internal team of real estate managers. Locations proposed by real estate managers are reviewed by development management as part of a formal site ride, as well as in a written real estate package. We study the surrounding trade area, demographic and business information within that area, and available information on competitors. Based on this analysis, including utilization of predictive modeling using proprietary formulas, we determine projected sales and targeted return on investment. We have been successful in a number of different types of locations, such as in-line or end-cap locations in strip or power centers, in regional malls and downtown business districts, free-standing buildings, food courts, and airports. Our

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new restaurant development activity has broadened to incorporate trade areas or restaurant sites in which we have little or no prior experience, including smaller or more economically mixed communities, highway sites, outlet centers, and on military bases.

ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen and Pizzeria Locale

We believe that the fundamental principles on which our restaurants are based—finding the very best sustainably raised ingredients, prepared and cooked using classical methods in front of the customer, and served in an interactive format by special people dedicated to providing a great dining experience—can be adapted to cuisines other than the food we serve at Chipotle.

In order to see how our model works when we use different ingredients and a different style of food, we opened our first ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen during 2011 and we now have a total of nine ShopHouse restaurants. ShopHouse serves a menu that, like at Chipotle, is focused; main dishes consist of rice or noodle bowls made with steak, chicken, meatballs made with pork and chicken, or tofu. Further, during 2013, we invested in a consolidated entity that now owns and operates two Pizzeria Locale restaurants, a fast casual pizza concept serving a menu that includes classic pizzas and salads, from a selection of high-quality ingredients.

Notwithstanding our opening of ShopHouse and investment in Pizzeria Locale, and our plans in 2015 for a small number of additional ShopHouse and Pizzeria Locale restaurants, our immediate focus will remain on thoughtfully growing the Chipotle brand.

Seasonality

Seasonal factors cause our profitability to fluctuate from quarter to quarter. Historically, our average daily restaurant sales and profits are lower in the first and fourth quarters due, in part, to the holiday season and because fewer people eat out during periods of inclement weather (the winter months) than during periods of mild or warm weather (the spring, summer and fall months). Other factors also have a seasonal effect on our results. For example, restaurants located near colleges and universities generally do more business during the academic year. Seasonal factors, however, might be moderated or outweighed by other factors that may influence our quarterly results, such as fluctuations in food or packaging costs or the timing of menu price increases.

Our Intellectual Property and Trademarks

“Chipotle,” “Chipotle Mexican Grill,” “Unburritable,” “Food With Integrity,” “Fresh Is Not Enough, Anymore,” “The Gourmet Restaurant Where You Eat With Your Hands,” “Responsibly Raised,” “ShopHouse” and a number of related designs and logos are U.S. registered trademarks of Chipotle. We have filed trademark applications for a number of other marks in the U.S. In addition to our U.S. registrations, we have registered trademarks for “Chipotle” and a number of other marks in Canada, the European Union and various other countries, and have filed trademark applications for “Chipotle Mexican Grill,” “Chipotle” and a number of other marks in various countries as well.

We also believe that the design of our restaurants is our proprietary trade dress. From time to time we have taken action against other restaurants that we believe are misappropriating our trademarks, restaurant designs or advertising. Although our policy is to protect and defend vigorously our rights to our intellectual property, we may not be able to adequately protect our intellectual property, which could harm the value of our brand and adversely affect our business.

Information Systems

We use an integrated architecture of applications and systems to manage the flow of information within each restaurant, and within our centralized corporate infrastructure. The restaurant structure includes a point-of-sales system that operates locally at the restaurant and is integrated with other functions necessary to restaurant operations. It records sales transactions, receives out of store orders, and authorizes, batches and transmits credit card transactions. The system also allows employees to enter time clock information and to produce a variety of

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management reports. Select information that is captured from this system at each restaurant is collected in the central corporate infrastructure, which enables management to continually monitor operating results. The services available within this infrastructure include supply chain, inventory, scheduling, training, human capital management, financial tools, and data protection services. We believe that our current systems will be an adequate platform to support our continued expansion.

In addition to processing payment card transactions and collecting and storing information about our employees, we also collect and store information about customers as part of some of our marketing programs. We are relying increasingly on cloud computing and other technologies that result in third parties holding significant amounts of employee or customer information on our behalf. The collection and use of such information is regulated at the federal and state levels, and the regulatory environment related to information security and privacy is increasingly demanding. A number of retailers have experienced actual or potential security breaches in which information may have been stolen, including a number of highly publicized incidents with well-known retailers in recent years. See “General Business Risks—We may incur costs resulting from security risks we face in connection with our electronic processing and transmission of confidential customer and employee information” in Item 1A. “Risk Factors,” for a discussion of risks associated with our information systems.

Employees

As of December 31, 2014, we had about 53,090 employees, including about 4,590 salaried employees and about 48,500 hourly employees. None of our employees are unionized or covered by a collective bargaining agreement.

Available Information

We maintain a website at www.chipotle.com, including an investor relations section at ir.chipotle.com in which we routinely post important information, such as webcasts of quarterly earnings calls and other investor events in which we participate or host, and any related materials. Our Code of Conduct is also available in this section of our website. You may access our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports, as well as other reports relating to us that are filed with or furnished to the SEC, free of charge in the investor relations section of our website as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC. The public may also read and copy materials we file with the SEC at the SEC’s Public Reference Room, which is located at 100 F Street, NE, Room 1580, Washington, DC 20549. You can obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The SEC also maintains a website that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC at www.sec.gov.

The contents of the websites mentioned above are not incorporated into and should not be considered a part of this report. The references to the URLs for these websites are intended to be inactive textual references only.

Risks Related to our Growth Strategy and Future Expansion

Our sales and profit growth could be adversely affected if comparable restaurant sales increases are less than we expect, and we may not successfully increase comparable restaurant sales or they may decrease.

While future sales growth will depend to an extent on our opening new restaurants, changes in comparable restaurant sales (which represent the change in period-over-period sales for restaurants beginning in their 13th full month of operations) will also affect our sales growth and will continue to be a critical factor affecting profit growth. This is because the profit margin on comparable restaurant sales is generally higher, as comparable restaurant sales increases enable fixed costs to be spread over a higher sales base. Conversely, declines in comparable restaurant sales can have a significant adverse effect on profitability due to the loss of the positive impact on profit margins associated with comparable restaurant sales increases. We expect 2015 full year

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comparable restaurant sales increases to be in the low to mid-single digit range as comparisons become more difficult, particularly during the final three quarters of the year as we begin to overlap nationwide menu price increases implemented in 2014.

Our ability to increase comparable restaurant sales depends on many factors, including:

As a result of these factors it is possible that we will not achieve our targeted or expected comparable restaurant sales or that the change in comparable restaurant sales could be negative. A number of these factors are beyond our control, and therefore we cannot assure that we will be able to sustain comparable restaurant sales increases.

Past declines in our comparable restaurant sales increases have significantly impacted our stock price. Beginning in the second quarter of 2012, prior to which we had been experiencing strong comparable restaurant sales growth momentum, our comparable restaurant sales increases decelerated and the price of our stock declined significantly in the wake of this deceleration, including a decline of nearly 22% on the trading day following our second quarter 2012 earnings release. Moreover, even the expectation of declining comparable restaurant sales increases has had a significant impact on our stock price in the past. For example, when we announced in October 2014 that we expect comparable restaurant sales for 2015 in the low to mid-single digit range (as opposed to the double-digit comparable restaurant sales increases we reported for the third quarter of 2014), the price of our common stock declined nearly 7% on the following trading day. Any future deceleration in or failure to meet market expectations for our comparable restaurant sales increases would likely result in another significant decline in the price of our common stock.

Increasing our sales and profitability depends substantially on our ability to open new restaurants in sites and on terms attractive to us, which is subject to many unpredictable factors.

We had 1,783 restaurants in operation as of December 31, 2014. We plan to increase the number of our restaurants significantly in the next three years, and plan to open between 190 and 205 new restaurants in 2015. However, we have in the past experienced delays in opening some restaurants and that could happen again as a result of any one or more of the following factors:

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One of our biggest challenges in opening new restaurants is staffing. We seek to hire only top-performing employees and to promote general managers from our crew, which may make it more difficult for us to staff all the restaurants we intend to open. Constraints on our hiring new employees are described further below under “Risks Related to Operating in the Restaurant Industry—Our business could be adversely affected by increased labor costs or difficulties in finding the right employees for our restaurants and the right field leaders.”

Another significant challenge is locating and securing an adequate supply of suitable new restaurant sites. Competition for suitable new restaurant sites in our target markets can be intense, and development and leasing costs are increasing, particularly for urban locations. These factors could negatively impact our ability to drive occupancy costs lower as a percentage of revenue, which would adversely impact our profitability growth. In addition, any of these factors may be exacerbated by any ongoing economic recovery, as developers and contractors see increased demand. Our decision to delay or forego a significant number of new restaurant openings, or our inability to open the number of new restaurants we plan, due to any of the reasons set forth above could materially and adversely affect our growth strategy and our expected results. Moreover, as we open and operate more restaurants our rate of expansion relative to the size of our existing restaurant base will decline, which will make it increasingly difficult to maintain our past rates of sales and profitability growth.

Our progress in opening new restaurants from quarter to quarter may also occur at an uneven rate, which may result in quarterly sales and profit growth falling short of market expectations in some periods. Similarly, our growth strategy and the substantial investment associated with the development of each new restaurant (as well as the impact of our new restaurants on the sales of our existing restaurants) may cause our operating results to fluctuate and be unpredictable or adversely affect our profits.

Our new restaurants, once opened, may not be profitable, and may adversely impact the sales of our existing restaurants.

Historically, many of our new restaurants have opened with an initial ramp-up period typically lasting 24 months or more, during which they generated sales and income below the levels at which we expect them to normalize. This is in part due to the time it takes to build a customer base in a new area, higher fixed costs relating to increased labor and other start-up inefficiencies that are typical of new restaurants, and a larger proportion of our recent openings being in higher rent sites than we have historically targeted. It may also be difficult for us to attract a customer base if we are not able to staff our restaurants with employees who perform to our high standards. If we are unable to build the customer base that we expect for new restaurant locations or

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overcome the higher fixed costs associated with new restaurant locations, new restaurants may not have similar results as our existing restaurants and may not be profitable. Moreover, our new restaurant development activity has broadened recently to incorporate trade areas or restaurant sites in which we have little or no prior experience, including smaller or more economically mixed communities, highway sites, outlet centers, and restaurants in airports, food courts, or on military sites. The risks relating to building a customer base and managing development and operating costs may be more significant in some or all of these types of trade areas or restaurant sites, which could have an unexpected negative impact on our new restaurant operating results.

In addition, after several years of lowering the average development cost, net of landlord reimbursements, for new Chipotle restaurants in the U.S. from about $916,000 in 2008 to about $800,000 in 2013, our average developments costs, net of landlord reimbursements, for new Chipotle restaurants in the U.S. have begun to increase. In 2014 these costs rose to about $843,000, and we expect them to decrease slightly in 2015. In the event we are not able to contain increases in our average restaurant development costs, which could result from inflation, an increase in the proportion of higher cost locations, project mismanagement or other reasons, our new restaurant locations could also result in decreased profitability.

We have now opened restaurants in nearly all major metropolitan areas across the U.S. New restaurants opened in existing markets may adversely impact sales in previously-opened restaurants in the same market as customers who frequent our established restaurants begin to visit a newly-opened restaurant instead. This impact could worsen as we open additional restaurants, and could make it more difficult for us to increase comparable restaurant sales and profitability. Existing restaurants could also make it more difficult to build the customer base for newly-opened restaurants in the same market.

Our expansion into international markets may present increased risks due to lower customer awareness of our brand, our unfamiliarity with those markets and other factors.

In 2008, we opened our first restaurant outside the U.S., in Toronto, Canada. In 2010 we opened our first restaurant in the United Kingdom in London, in 2012 we opened our first restaurant in France in Paris, and in 2013 we opened our first restaurant in Germany in Frankfurt. As of December 31, 2014, 17 of our restaurants were located outside of the U.S. As a result of our small number of restaurants outside the U.S. and the relatively short time we have been operating those restaurants, we have lower brand awareness, lower sales and/or transaction counts, and less operating experience in these markets. The markets in which we’ve opened restaurants outside the U.S., and any additional new markets we enter outside the U.S. in the future, have different competitive conditions, consumer tastes and discretionary spending patterns than our U.S. markets. As a result, new restaurants outside the U.S. may be less successful than restaurants in our existing markets. Specifically, due to lower consumer familiarity with the Chipotle brand, differences in customer tastes or spending patterns, or for other reasons, sales at restaurants opened outside the U.S. may take longer to ramp up and reach expected sales and profit levels, and may never do so, thereby affecting our overall growth and profitability. To build brand awareness in international markets, we may need to make greater investments in advertising and promotional activity than we originally planned, which could negatively impact the profitability of our operations in those markets.

We may also find it more difficult in international markets to hire, motivate and keep qualified employees who can project our vision, passion and culture, and labor costs may be higher in international markets due to increased regulation or local market conditions. In addition, restaurants outside the U.S. have had higher construction, occupancy and food costs than restaurants in existing markets, and we may have difficulty finding reliable suppliers or distributors or ones that can provide us, either initially or over time, with adequate supplies of ingredients meeting our quality standards. Markets outside the U.S. may also have regulatory differences with the U.S. with which we are not familiar, or that subject us to significant additional expense or to which we are not able to successfully adapt, which may have a particularly adverse impact on our sales or profitability in those markets and could adversely impact our overall results. Our overall results may also be negatively affected by currency risk on the transactions in other currencies and translation adjustments resulting from the conversion of our international financial results into the U.S. dollar.

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ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen and Pizzeria Locale may not contribute to our growth.

We believe that the fundamental principles on which Chipotle restaurants are based—finding the very best sustainably raised ingredients, prepared and cooked using classical methods in front of the customer, and served in an interactive format by special people dedicated to providing a great dining experience—can be adapted to cuisines other than the food we serve at Chipotle. In order to see how our model works when we use different ingredients and a different style of food, we opened ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen during 2011 and now have a total of nine ShopHouse restaurants, in Washington D.C. and the Los Angeles area. We also have a majority ownership interest in a company operating two fast casual Pizzeria Locale restaurants in Denver, Colorado, and we plan to invest in and assist with the expansion of Pizzeria Locale in the future. ShopHouse and Pizzeria Locale are new brands and they have lower brand awareness, lower sales and less operating experience than most Chipotle restaurants, and may not achieve the same restaurant economics as Chipotle restaurants. Notwithstanding our opening of ShopHouse and investment in Pizzeria Locale, our immediate focus will remain on thoughtfully growing the Chipotle brand. As a result, we do not expect ShopHouse or Pizzeria Locale to contribute to our growth in a meaningful way for at least the next several years, and we may determine not to move forward with any further expansion of ShopHouse or Pizzeria Locale. This would limit our overall growth over the long term.

Our failure to manage our growth effectively could harm our business and operating results.

As described elsewhere in this report, our plans call for a significant number of new restaurants. Our existing restaurant management systems, financial and management controls, information systems and personnel may be inadequate to support our expansion. Managing our growth effectively will require us to continue to enhance these systems, procedures and controls and to hire, train and retain general managers, crew and corporate staff. We also are continuing to attempt to improve our field management in an effort to develop additional top-performing general managers more quickly. We may not respond quickly enough to the changing demands that our expansion will impose on management, crew and existing infrastructure, and changes to our operating structure may result in increased costs or inefficiencies that we cannot currently anticipate. Changes as we grow may have a negative impact on the operation of our restaurants, and cost increases resulting from our inability to effectively manage our growth could adversely impact our profitability. We also place a lot of importance on our culture, which we believe has been an important contributor to our success. As we grow, we may have difficulty maintaining our culture or adapting it sufficiently to meet the needs of our operations. Our failure to foster and maintain our corporate culture could also harm our business and operating results.

Risks Related to Operating in the Restaurant Industry

Changes in food and supply costs could adversely affect our results of operations.

Our profitability depends in part on our ability to anticipate and react to changes in food and supply costs. Like all restaurant companies, we are susceptible to increases in food costs as a result of factors beyond our control, such as general economic conditions, seasonal fluctuations, weather conditions, global demand, food safety concerns, generalized infectious diseases, fluctuations of the U.S. dollar, product recalls and government regulations. The cost of many basic foods for humans and animals, including corn, wheat, rice and cooking oils, has increased markedly in some years, resulting in upward pricing pressures on almost all of our raw ingredients including chicken, beef, tortillas and rice, increasing our food costs. Food prices for a number of our key ingredients escalated markedly at various points during 2013 and 2014 and we expect that there will be additional pricing pressures on some of those ingredients, primarily beef, during 2015, which we expect will be partially or fully offset by relief in dairy prices. As a result, we expect that food costs as a percentage of revenue in 2015 will remain consistent with the full year 2014 or will increase slightly.

We could also be adversely impacted by price increases specific to meats raised in accordance with our sustainability and animal welfare criteria or other food items we buy as part of our Food With Integrity focus, the markets for which are generally smaller and more concentrated than the markets for food products that are conventionally raised and grown. Weather related issues, such as freezes or drought, may also lead to temporary

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spikes in the prices of some ingredients such as produce or meats. For instance, drought conditions in parts of the U.S. have resulted in significant increases in beef prices during 2014, and we expect beef prices to remain high throughout 2015. Increasing weather volatility or other long-term changes in global weather patterns, including any changes associated with global climate change, could have a significant impact on the price or availability of some of our ingredients. Any increase in the prices of the ingredients most critical to our menu, such as chicken, beef, cheese, avocados, beans, rice, tomatoes and pork, would adversely affect our operating results. Alternatively, in the event of cost increases with respect to one or more of our raw ingredients, we may choose to temporarily suspend serving menu items, such as guacamole or one or more of our salsas, rather than paying the increased cost for the ingredients. Any such changes to our available menu may negatively impact our restaurant traffic and comparable restaurant sales, and could also have an adverse impact on our brand.

Our business could be adversely affected by increased labor costs or difficulties in finding the right employees for our restaurants and the right field leaders.

Labor is a primary component of our operating costs, and we believe good managers and crew are a key part of our success. We devote significant resources to recruiting and training our general managers and crew. Increased labor costs due to factors like additional taxes or requirements to incur additional employee benefits costs, including the requirements of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or the Affordable Care Act, (discussed further under “Regulatory and Legal Risks—The effect of recent changes to U.S. healthcare laws may increase our healthcare costs and negatively impact our financial results,”), as well as competition, increased minimum wage requirements, paid sick leave or vacation accrual mandates, and any changes in our restaurant staffing structure would adversely impact our operating costs. Our success also depends in part on the energy and skills of our employees and our ability to hire, motivate and keep qualified employees, especially general managers and crew members. As we grow, we believe we will need to promote or hire additional top-performing field leaders to ensure we hire and motivate good managers and crew, and it may be difficult to identify and keep those field leaders. Our failure to find and keep enough employees who are a good fit with our culture could delay planned restaurant openings, result in higher employee turnover or erode our employee and restaurant cultures, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. Restaurant operators have traditionally experienced relatively high employee turnover rates. Any increase in our turnover rates for managers or crew could be costly and could negatively impact our operations.

Various states in which we operate are considering or have already adopted new immigration laws, and the U.S. Congress and Department of Homeland Security from time to time consider or implement changes to Federal immigration laws, regulations or enforcement programs as well. Changes in immigration or work authorization laws may increase our obligations for compliance and oversight, which could subject us to additional costs and make our hiring process more cumbersome, or reduce the availability of potential employees. Although we require all workers to provide us with government-specified documentation evidencing their employment eligibility, some of our employees may, without our knowledge, be unauthorized workers. We currently participate in the “E-Verify” program, an Internet-based, free program run by the U.S. government, to verify employment eligibility for all employees throughout our company. However, use of E-Verify does not guarantee that we will properly identify all applicants who are ineligible for employment. Unauthorized workers may subject us to fines or penalties, and we could experience adverse publicity that negatively impacts our brand and may make it more difficult to hire and keep qualified employees. For example, following an audit by the Department of Homeland Security of the work authorization documents of our restaurant employees in Minnesota during 2010, we lost approximately 450 employees, resulting in a temporary increase in labor costs and disruption of our operations, including slower throughput, as we trained new employees, as well as some degree of negative publicity. The resulting broad-based civil and criminal investigations by the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission of our compliance with work authorization requirements and related disclosures and statements are ongoing. See Note 9. “Commitments and Contingencies” in our consolidated financial statements included in Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.” Termination of a significant number of employees in specific markets or across our company would disrupt our operations including slowing our throughput, and could also cause additional adverse publicity and temporary increases in our labor costs as we train new employees. We could also become subject to

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fines, penalties and other costs related to claims that we did not fully comply with all recordkeeping obligations of federal and state immigration compliance laws. Our reputation and financial performance may be materially harmed as a result of any of these factors.

Because we do not franchise, risks associated with hiring and maintaining a large workforce, including increases in wage rates or the cost of employee benefits, compliance with laws and regulations related to the hiring, payment and termination of employees, and employee-related litigation, may be more pronounced for us than for restaurant companies at which some or all of these risks are borne by franchisees or other operating contractors.

Instances of food-borne or localized illnesses could cause the temporary closure of some restaurants or result in negative publicity, thereby resulting in a decline in our sales, and could adversely affect the price and availability of the meat, produce or dairy we use to prepare our food.

Instances of food-borne illnesses, real or perceived, whether at our restaurants or those of our competitors, may subject us to liability to affected customers, and could result in negative publicity about us or the restaurant industry that adversely affects our sales. We may be at a higher risk for food-borne illness outbreaks than some competitors due to our use of fresh produce and meats rather than frozen, and our reliance on employees cooking with traditional methods rather than automation. The risk of illnesses associated with our food might also increase in connection with an expansion of our catering business or other situations in which our food is served in conditions we cannot control.

On a small number of occasions one or more Chipotle restaurants have been associated with customer illness, and on those occasions our sales have sometimes been adversely impacted, at times even in markets beyond those impacted by the illness. If our customers become ill from food-borne or localized illnesses or if an illness is attributed to our food, even incorrectly, we could also be forced to temporarily close some restaurants, further impacting sales. In addition, reports linking nationwide or regional outbreaks of food-borne illnesses have caused us to temporarily suspend serving some produce items in our foods or to otherwise alter our menu. Similarly, past outbreaks of E. coli relating to certain food items caused consumers to avoid certain products and restaurant chains, Asian and European countries have experienced outbreaks of avian flu, and incidents of “mad cow” disease have occurred in Canadian and U.S. cattle herds. These problems, other food-borne illnesses (such as hepatitis A or norovirus) and injuries caused by food tampering have had in the past, and could have in the future, an adverse effect on the price and availability of affected ingredients. A decrease in customer traffic as a result of these health concerns or negative publicity, or as a result of a change in our menu or dining experience or a temporary closure of any of our restaurants, would adversely impact our restaurant sales and profitability. Furthermore, if we react to these problems by changing our menu or other key aspects of the Chipotle experience, we may lose customers who do not accept those changes, and may not be able to attract enough new customers to generate sufficient revenue to make our restaurants profitable. Customers may also shift away from us if we choose to pass along to consumers any higher ingredient costs resulting from supply problems associated with outbreaks of food-borne illnesses, which would also have a negative impact on our sales and profitability.

Competition could adversely affect us.

The fast-casual, quick-service and casual dining segments of the restaurant industry are highly competitive with respect to, among other things, taste, price, food quality and presentation, service, location and the ambience and condition of each restaurant. Our competition includes a variety of restaurants in each of these segments, including locally owned restaurants and national and regional chains. Many of our competitors offer dine-in, carry-out and delivery services. Many of our competitors have existed longer than we have and may have a more established market presence with substantially greater financial, marketing, personnel and other resources than we have. Among our main competitors are a number of multi-unit, multi-market Mexican food or burrito restaurant concepts, some of which are expanding nationally. Some of these competitors and other fast casual concepts have sought to duplicate various elements of our business operations, and more chains may copy us to varying degrees in the future. Additionally, our newer concepts, ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen and Pizzeria Locale, operate in markets in which there are numerous competitors, including a number of large and

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well-known brands. A number of other companies or individuals in the restaurant industry have recently opened or invested in fast-casual pizza concepts. In addition, our strategy includes opening additional restaurants in existing markets, and as we do so sales may decline in our previously-opened restaurants as customers who frequent our established restaurants begin to visit a newly-opened restaurant instead.

Several of our competitors compete by offering menu items that are specifically identified as low in carbohydrates, better for customers or otherwise targeted at particular consumer preferences. Many of our competitors in the fast-casual and quick-service segments of the restaurant industry also emphasize lower-cost, “value meal” menu options, a strategy we do not currently pursue. Our sales may be adversely affected by these products and price competition.

Moreover, we may also compete with companies outside the fast casual and quick service and casual dining segments of the restaurant industry. For example, competitive pressures can come from deli sections and in-store cafés of several major grocery store chains, including those targeted at customers who want higher-quality food, as well as from convenience stores and other dining outlets. These competitors may have, among other things, a more diverse menu, lower operating costs, better locations, better facilities, better management, more effective marketing and more efficient operations than we have.

Any of these competitive factors may adversely affect us and reduce our sales and profits.

Failure to receive frequent deliveries of higher-quality food ingredients and other supplies meeting our specifications could harm our operations.

Our ability to maintain our menu depends in part on our ability to acquire ingredients that meet our specifications from reliable suppliers. Shortages or interruptions in the supply of ingredients caused by unanticipated demand, problems in production or distribution, food contamination, inclement weather, a supplier ceasing operations or deciding not to follow our required protocols, or other conditions could adversely affect the availability, quality and cost of our ingredients, which could harm our operations. In particular, shortages of one or more of our menu items could force our restaurants to remove items from their menus, which may result in customers choosing to eat elsewhere. If that happens, our affected restaurants could experience significant reductions in sales during the menu item shortage, and potentially thereafter if customers do not return to us after the shortage is resolved. Our focus on a limited menu would make the consequences of a shortage of a key ingredient more severe than at other restaurants.

We have almost no long-term contracts with suppliers, and we have relied largely on a third party distribution network with a limited number of distribution partners. If any of our distributors or suppliers performs inadequately, or our distribution or supply relationships are disrupted for any reason, the risk of ingredient shortages may increase and our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows could be adversely affected. We currently depend on a limited number of suppliers for some of our key ingredients, including beef, pork, chicken, tofu, beans, rice, sour cream, cheese, and tortillas. Due to the unique nature of the products we receive from our Food With Integrity suppliers and as described in more detail below under “Risks Related to Our Unique Business Strategy—Our Food With Integrity philosophy subjects us to risks,” these suppliers could be more difficult to replace if we were no longer able to rely on them. If we have to seek new suppliers and service providers we may be subject to pricing or other terms less favorable than those we currently enjoy. If we cannot replace or engage distributors or suppliers who meet our specifications in a short period of time, that could increase our expenses and cause shortages of food and other items at our restaurants, which could cause a restaurant to remove items from its menu. If that were to happen and customers change their dining habits as a result, affected restaurants could experience significant reductions in sales during the shortage or thereafter. Our focus on a limited menu would make the consequences of a shortage of a key ingredient more severe.

In the first quarter of 2015, through our ongoing auditing of suppliers, we identified a pork supplier that was not meeting our standards and suspended purchases of pork from this supplier. Without this supply, we do not

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have enough pork meeting our specifications for all of our restaurants and a large number of our restaurants are not serving carnitas as of February 4, 2015. This may result in lost sales from customers who choose to eat elsewhere rather than substituting a different one of our menu items for carnitas.

Changes in customer tastes and preferences, spending patterns and demographic trends could cause sales to decline.

Changes in customer preferences, general economic conditions, discretionary spending priorities, demographic trends, traffic patterns and the type, number and location of competing restaurants affect the restaurant industry. Our sales could be impacted by changes in consumer preferences in response to dietary concerns, including preferences regarding items such as calories, sodium, carbohydrates or fat. These changes could result in consumers avoiding our menu items in favor of other foods, and our focus on a limited menu could make the consequences of a change in consumer preferences more severe than our competitors may face. Our success also depends to a significant extent on consumer confidence, which is influenced by general economic conditions and discretionary income levels. Our average restaurant sales may decline during economic downturns or periods of uncertainty, which can be caused by various factors such as high unemployment, increasing taxes, interest rates, or other changes in fiscal or monetary policy, high gasoline prices, declining home prices, tight credit markets or foreign political or economic unrest. Any material decline in consumer confidence or a decline in family “food away from home” spending could cause our sales, operating results, profits, business or financial condition to decline. If we fail to adapt to changes in customer preferences and trends, we may lose customers and our sales may deteriorate.

If we were to experience widespread difficulty renewing existing leases on favorable terms, our revenue or occupancy costs could be adversely affected.

We lease substantially all of the properties on which we operate restaurants, and some of our leases are due for renewal or extension options in the next several years. Some leases are subject to renewal at fair market value, which could involve substantial increases, and a smaller number expire without any renewal option. While we currently expect to pursue the renewal of substantially all of our expiring restaurant leases, any difficulty renewing a significant number of such leases, or any substantial increase in rents associated with lease renewals, could adversely impact us. If we have to close any restaurants due to difficulties in renewing leases, we would lose revenue from the affected restaurants and may not be able to open suitable replacement restaurants. Substantial increases in rents associated with lease renewals would increase our occupancy costs, reducing our restaurant margins.

Regulatory and Legal Risks

Governmental regulation in one or more of the following areas may adversely affect our existing and future operations and results, including by harming our ability to open new restaurants or increasing our operating costs.

Employment and Immigration Regulations

We are subject to various federal and state laws governing our relationship with and other matters pertaining to our employees, including wage and hour laws, requirements to provide meal and rest periods or other benefits, family leave mandates, requirements regarding working conditions and accommodations to certain employees, citizenship or work authorization and related requirements, insurance and workers’ compensation rules and anti-discrimination laws. Complying with these rules subjects us to substantial expense and can be cumbersome, and can also expose us to liabilities from claims for non-compliance. For example, a number of lawsuits have been filed against us alleging violations of federal and state laws regarding employee wages and payment of overtime, meal and rest breaks, employee record-keeping and related practices with respect to our employees. We could suffer losses from, and we incur legal costs to defend, these and similar cases, and the amount of such losses or costs could be significant. In addition, several states and localities in which we operate and the federal government have from time to time enacted minimum wage increases, paid sick leave and mandatory vacation

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accruals, and similar requirements and these changes could increase our labor costs. In addition, see “The effect of recent changes to U.S. healthcare laws may increase our healthcare costs and negatively impact our financial results” below for a discussion of risks related to recent changes in U.S. healthcare laws.

We also are audited from time to time for compliance with citizenship or work authorization requirements as well, and recent audit activity and federal criminal and civil investigations in this area are described in more detail above under “Risks Related to Operating in the Restaurant Industry—Our business could be adversely affected by increased labor costs or difficulties in finding the right employees for our restaurants and the right field leaders,” as well as in Note 9 “Commitments and Contingencies” in our consolidated financial statements included in Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.” Unauthorized workers may subject us to fines or penalties, and if any of our workers are found to be unauthorized our business may be disrupted as we try to replace lost workers with additional qualified employees. On the other hand, in the event we wrongfully reject work authorization documents, or if our compliance procedures are found to have a disparate impact on a protected class such as a racial minority or based on the citizenship status of applicants, we could be found to be in violation of anti-discrimination laws. We could experience adverse publicity arising from enforcement activity related to work authorization compliance, anti-discrimination compliance, or both, that negatively impacts our brand and may make it more difficult to hire and keep qualified employees. Moreover, in addition to the criminal and civil investigations mentioned above under “Risks Related to Operating in the Restaurant Industry—Our business could be adversely affected by increased labor costs or difficulties in finding the right employees for our restaurants and the right field leaders,” the office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission have informed us that they are conducting parallel investigations into possible criminal and civil securities law violations relating to our employee work authorization compliance and related disclosures and statements as well. The foregoing investigations may continue to be expensive and distracting, and could subject us to fines, reputational damage, and other liabilities that could be significant.

Additionally, while we do not currently have any unionized employees, union organizers have engaged in efforts to organize employees of other restaurant companies. If a significant portion of our employees were to become union organized, our labor costs could increase and our efforts to maintain a culture appealing only to top performing employees could be impaired. Potential changes in labor laws, including the possible passage of legislation designed to make it easier for employees to unionize, could increase the likelihood of some or all of our employees being subjected to greater organized labor influence, and could have an adverse effect on our business and financial results by imposing requirements that could potentially increase our costs, reduce our flexibility and impact our employee culture.

Americans with Disabilities Act and Similar State Laws

We are subject to the U.S. Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA, and similar state laws that give civil rights protections to individuals with disabilities in the context of employment, public accommodations and other areas. We have incurred substantial legal fees in connection with ADA-related complaints in the past, and we may in the future have to modify restaurants, for example by adding access ramps or redesigning certain architectural features, to provide service to or make reasonable accommodations for disabled persons under these laws. The expenses associated with these modifications, or any damages, legal fees and costs associated with litigating or resolving claims under the ADA or similar state laws, could be material.

Nutrition and Food Regulation

In recent years, there has been an increased legislative, regulatory and consumer focus at the federal, state and municipal levels on the food industry including nutrition and advertising practices. Restaurants operating in the quick-service and fast-casual segments have been a particular focus. For example, the State of California, New York City and a number of other jurisdictions around the U.S. have adopted regulations requiring that chain restaurants include calorie information on their menu boards or make other nutritional information available, and nation-wide nutrition disclosure requirements included in the U.S. health care reform law will go into effect as of December 1, 2015. These nutrition disclosure requirements may increase our expenses or slow customers as they move through the line, decreasing our throughput. These initiatives may also change customer buying habits in a way that adversely impacts our sales.

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Privacy/Cybersecurity

We are required to collect and maintain personal information about our employees, and we collect information about customers as part of some of our marketing programs as well. The collection and use of such information is regulated at the federal and state levels, and by the European Union and its member states, and the regulatory environment related to information security and privacy is increasingly demanding. At the same time, we are relying increasingly on cloud computing and other technologies that result in third parties holding significant amounts of customer or employee information on our behalf. If the security and information systems of ours or of outsourced third party providers we use to store or process such information are compromised or if we, or such third parties, otherwise fail to comply with these laws and regulations, we could face litigation and the imposition of penalties that could adversely affect our financial performance. Our reputation as a brand or as an employer could also be adversely affected from these types of security breaches or regulatory violations, which could impair our sales or ability to attract and keep qualified employees.

Local Licensure, Zoning and Other Regulation

Each of our restaurants is also subject to state and local licensing and regulation by health, alcoholic beverage, sanitation, food and workplace safety and other agencies. We may experience material difficulties or failures in obtaining the necessary licenses or approvals for new restaurants, which could delay planned restaurant openings. In addition, stringent and varied requirements of local regulators with respect to zoning, land use and environmental factors could delay or prevent development of new restaurants in particular locations.

Environmental Laws

We are subject to federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations concerning the discharge, storage, handling, release and disposal of hazardous or toxic substances, as well as local ordinances restricting the types of packaging we can use in our restaurants. We have not conducted a comprehensive environmental review of our properties or operations. We have, however, conducted investigations of some of our properties and identified contamination caused by third-party operations. We believe any such contamination has been or should be addressed by the third party. If the relevant third party does not address or has not addressed the identified contamination properly or completely, then under certain environmental laws, we could be held liable as an owner or operator to address any remaining contamination, sometimes without regard to whether we knew of, or were responsible for, the release or presence of hazardous or toxic substances. Any such liability could be material. Further, we may not have identified all of the potential environmental liabilities at our properties, and any such liabilities could have a material adverse effect on our operations or results of operations. We also cannot predict what environmental laws will be enacted in the future, how existing or future environmental laws will be administered or interpreted, or the amount of future expenditures that we may need to make to comply with, or to satisfy claims relating to, environmental laws.

Other Aspects of Regulatory Risk

From time to time we are the target of litigation in connection with various laws and regulations that cover our business. Much of this litigation occurs in California even though currently only about 18% of our restaurants are located there. As we continue to expand in California, or if we are not able to effectively manage the increased litigation risks and expenses we have experienced in California, our business may be adversely impacted to a greater extent than if we did not operate in, or minimized our operations in, California.

Because we do not franchise, the costs of compliance and other risks associated with government regulation of our business, as described above, may be more pronounced for us than for restaurant companies at which some or all of these risks are borne by franchisees or other operating contractors.

The effect of recent changes to U.S. healthcare laws may increase our healthcare costs and negatively impact our financial results.

We offer eligible full-time and part-time U.S. employees the opportunity to enroll in healthcare coverage subsidized by us. For various reasons, many of our eligible employees currently choose not to participate in our

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healthcare plans. However, under the comprehensive U.S. health care reform law enacted in 2010, the Affordable Care Act, changes that became effective in 2014, and especially the employer mandate and employer penalties that became effective January 1, 2015, may increase our labor costs significantly. Changes in the law that took effect in 2014, including the imposition of a penalty on individuals who do not obtain healthcare coverage, may result in employees who are currently eligible but elect not to participate in our healthcare plans increasingly finding it advantageous to do so, which may increase our healthcare costs in the future. In 2015, we adopted a qualifying plan under the Affordable Care Act for our full-time hourly employees, which may further increase our healthcare expenses. It is also possible that even in light of recent changes in the healthcare plans we offer, healthcare plans offered by other companies with which we compete for employees will make us less attractive to our current or potential employees. And in any event, implementing the requirements of the Affordable Care Act has imposed some additional administrative costs on us, and those costs may increase over time. The costs and other effects of these new healthcare requirements cannot be determined with certainty, but they may have a material adverse effect on our financial and operating results.

We could be party to litigation that could adversely affect us by distracting management, increasing our expenses or subjecting us to material money damages and other remedies.

We’re subject to numerous claims alleging violations of federal and state laws regarding workplace and employment matters, including wages, work hours, overtime, vacation and family leave, discrimination, wrongful termination, and similar matters, and we could become subject to class action or other lawsuits related to these or different matters in the future. Our customers also occasionally file complaints or lawsuits against us alleging that we’re responsible for some illness or injury they suffered at or after a visit to our restaurants, or that we have problems with food quality, operations or our food related disclosure or advertising practices. See “Governmental regulation in one or more of the following areas may adversely affect our existing and future operations and results, including by harming our ability to open new restaurants or increasing our operating costs” above, for additional discussion of these types of claims. From time to time, we also face claims alleging that technology we use in our business infringes patents held by third parties. In addition, the restaurant industry has been subject to a growing number of claims based on the nutritional content of food products sold and disclosure and advertising practices. We have been subject to a number of these actions and may be subject to additional actions of this type in the future. Furthermore, we have been sued in shareholder class action and derivative lawsuits regarding our financial disclosures and our Board’s oversight of our business, and as a publicly-traded company we cannot be assured that similar actions will not be brought against us in the future. We are also undergoing government investigations as described elsewhere in this report, including in Note 9 “Commitments and Contingencies” in our consolidated financial statements included in Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.”

We believe the number of many of the foregoing types of claims has increased as our business has grown and we have become more visible to potential plaintiffs and their lawyers, particularly in California. Regardless of whether any claims against us are valid, or whether we’re ultimately held liable for such claims, they may be expensive to defend and may divert time and money away from our operations and hurt our performance. A significant judgment for any claims against us could materially and adversely affect our financial condition or results of operations. Any adverse publicity resulting from these allegations, whether directed at us or at fast casual or quick-service restaurants generally, may also materially and adversely affect our reputation or prospects, which in turn could adversely affect our results.

Risks Related to our Unique Business Strategy

We may not persuade customers of the benefits of paying our prices for higher-quality food.

Our success depends in large part on our ability to persuade customers that food made with higher-quality ingredients is worth the prices they will pay at our restaurants relative to prices offered by some of our competitors, particularly those in the quick-service restaurant segment. We may not successfully educate customers about the quality of our food, and customers may not care even if they do understand our approach. That could require us to change our pricing, advertising or promotional strategies, which could materially and adversely affect our results of operations or the brand identity that we have tried to create. Consumers may also be more price-sensitive during periods of economic difficulty or uncertainty, and we experienced some decrease

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in traffic during late 2008 and throughout 2009 that we attribute in part to customer resistance to menu price increases. If customers are not persuaded that we offer a good value for their money, our restaurant transaction counts could be adversely affected, which would negatively impact our business results.

Our Food With Integrity philosophy subjects us to risks.

The principle of Food With Integrity constitutes a significant part of our business strategy. We use a substantial amount of ingredients grown or raised with an emphasis on practices we believe to be more sustainable or responsible than some conventional practices, and try to make food as fresh as we can. We do, however, face challenges associated with pursuing Food With Integrity. There can be higher costs and other risks associated with purchasing ingredients grown or raised with an emphasis on quality, sustainability and other responsible practices. Growth rate and weight gain can be lower for chickens, cattle and pigs that are not fed sub-therapeutic antibiotics and for cattle that are not given growth hormones. Crops grown organically or using other responsible practices can take longer to grow and crop yields can be lower. It can take longer to identify and secure relationships with suppliers that are able to meet our criteria for meat, dairy and produce ingredients. Given the costs associated with what we believe are more responsible farming practices, and in some years due to decreased demand as a result of the weak economic environment, many large suppliers have not found it economical to pursue business in this area. Although all of our restaurants generally serve meat from animals raised in accordance with criteria we’ve established in an effort to improve sustainability and promote animal welfare, we may experience shortages of meat, particularly chicken or steak, meeting these criteria due to suppliers suspending production, market conditions, or other forces beyond our control. A few of our markets have reverted to temporarily serving conventionally raised beef or chicken due to supply shortages, including ongoing shortages of beef meeting our protocols during 2013 and early 2014. And in the first quarter of 2015, through our ongoing auditing of suppliers, we identified a pork supplier that was not meeting our standards and suspended purchases of pork from this supplier. Without this supply, we do not have enough pork meeting our specifications for all of our restaurants and a large number of our restaurants are not serving carnitas as of February 4, 2015.

Furthermore, as we grow, the ability of our suppliers to expand output or otherwise increase their supplies to meet our needs may be constrained. Moreover, we have made a significant commitment to serving local or organic produce when seasonally available, and a small portion of our restaurants also serves produce purchased from farmers markets seasonally as well. These produce initiatives may make it more difficult to keep quality consistent, and present additional risk of food-borne illnesses given the greater number of suppliers involved in such a system and the difficulty of imposing our quality assurance programs on all such suppliers. Quality variations and food-borne illness concerns could adversely impact public perceptions of Food With Integrity or our brand generally.

If as a result of any of these factors we are unable to obtain a sufficient and consistent supply of these ingredients on a cost-effective basis, our food costs could increase, adversely impacting our operating margins. These factors could also cause us difficulties in aligning our brand with Food With Integrity, which could make us less popular among our customers and cause sales to decline. Our commitment to Food With Integrity may also leave us open to actions against us or criticism from special interest groups whose ideas regarding food issues differ from ours or who believe we should pursue different or additional goals with our Food With Integrity approach. Any adverse publicity that results from such criticism could damage our brand and adversely impact customer traffic at our restaurants. We may also face adverse publicity or liability for false advertising claims if suppliers do not adhere to all of the elements of our Food With Integrity programs, such as responsible meat protocols, requirements for organic or sustainable growing methods, and similar criteria on which we base our purchasing decisions. If any such supplier failures occur and are publicized, our reputation would be harmed and our sales may be adversely impacted.

Additionally, in response to increasing customer awareness and demand, some competitors have also begun to advertise their use of meats raised without the use of antibiotics or growth hormones, dairy products from cows not treated with rBGH, and other ingredients similar to those we seek as part of our Food With Integrity

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philosophy. If competitors become known for using these types of higher-quality or more sustainable ingredients, it could further limit our supply of these ingredients, and may make it more difficult for us to differentiate Chipotle and our restaurants, which could adversely impact our operating results.

Our success may depend on the continued service of key personnel.

Our Chairman and co-Chief Executive Officer Steve Ells founded our company, has been the principal architect of our business strategy, and has led our growth from a single restaurant in 1993 to over 1,700 restaurants today. Monty Moran, our co-Chief Executive Officer, and Jack Hartung, our Chief Financial Officer, have also served with us for several years and much of our growth has occurred under their direction as well. We believe our executive officers, each of whom is an at-will employee without any employment contract, have created an employee culture, food culture and business strategy at our company that has been critical to our success and that may be difficult to replicate under another management team. We also believe that it may be difficult to locate and retain other executive officers who are able to grasp and implement our unique strategic vision. If our company culture were to deteriorate following a change in leadership, or if a new management team were to be unsuccessful in executing our strategy or were to change important elements of our current strategy, our growth prospects or future operating results may be adversely impacted.

Our marketing and advertising strategies may not be successful, which could adversely impact our business.

We have developed a marketing and advertising strategy that we believe is unique in the restaurant industry. We have not generally advertised on television and engage in very limited price or value-based promotions. Instead we invest in marketing and advertising strategies that we believe will increase customers’ connection with our brand. If these marketing and advertising investments do not drive increased restaurant sales, the expense associated with these programs will adversely impact our financial results, and we may not generate the levels of comparable restaurant sales we expect. In addition, our marketing has increasingly incorporated elements intended to encourage customers to question sources or production methods commonly used to produce food. These elements of our marketing could alienate food suppliers and other food industry groups and may potentially lead to an increased risk of disputes or litigation if suppliers or other constituencies believe our marketing is unfair or misleading. Increased costs in connection with any such issues, or any deterioration in our relationships with existing suppliers, could adversely impact us or our reputation. Furthermore, if these messages do not resonate with our customers or potential customers, the value of our brands may be eroded.

We have also implemented strategies such as remote ordering and catering options in an effort to increase overall sales. Our catering program, in particular, is new and untested and may not increase our sales to the degree we expect, or at all. Catering and other out-of-restaurant sales options also introduce new operating procedures to our restaurants and we may not successfully execute these procedures, which could adversely impact the customer experience in our restaurants and thereby harm our sales and customer perception of our brand.

General Business Risks

We may be harmed by security risks we face in connection with our electronic processing and transmission of confidential customer and employee information.

We accept electronic payment cards for payment in our restaurants. During 2014 approximately 66% of our sales were attributable to credit and debit card transactions, and credit and debit card usage could continue to increase. A number of retailers have experienced actual or potential security breaches in which credit and debit card information may have been stolen, including a number of highly publicized incidents with well-known retailers in recent years. In August 2004, the merchant bank that processed our credit and debit card transactions informed us that we may have been the victim of a possible theft of card data. As a result, we recorded losses and related expenses totaling $4.3 million from 2004 through 2006.

We may in the future become subject to additional claims for purportedly fraudulent transactions arising out of the actual or alleged theft of credit or debit card information, and we may also be subject to lawsuits or other

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proceedings in the future relating to these types of incidents. Proceedings related to theft of credit or debit card information may be brought by payment card providers, banks and credit unions that issue cards, cardholders (either individually or as part of a class action lawsuit) and federal and state regulators. Any such proceedings could distract our management from running our business and cause us to incur significant unplanned losses and expenses. Consumer perception of our brand could also be negatively affected by these events, which could further adversely affect our results and prospects.

We also are required to collect and maintain personal information about our employees, and we collect information about customers as part of some of our marketing programs as well. The collection and use of such information is regulated at the federal and state levels, and by the European Union and its member states, and the regulatory environment related to information security and privacy is increasingly demanding. At the same time, we are relying increasingly on cloud computing and other technologies that result in third parties holding significant amounts of customer or employee information on our behalf. If the security and information systems of ours or of outsourced third party providers we use to store or process such information are compromised or if we, or such third parties, otherwise fail to comply with these laws and regulations, we could face litigation and the imposition of penalties that could adversely affect our financial performance. Our reputation as a brand or as an employer could also be adversely affected from these types of security breaches or regulatory violations, which could impair our sales or ability to attract and keep qualified employees.

Our insurance coverage and self-insurance reserves may not cover future claims.

We maintain various insurance policies for employee health, worker’s compensation, general liability, property damage and auto liability. We are self-insured for our employee health plans but have third party insurance coverage to limit exposure for both individual and aggregate claim costs. We are also responsible for losses up to a certain limit for worker’s compensation, general liability, property damage and auto liability insurance.

For policies under which we are responsible for losses, we record a liability that represents our estimated cost of claims incurred and unpaid as of the balance sheet date. Our estimated liability is not discounted and is based on a number of assumptions and factors, including historical trends, actuarial assumptions and economic conditions, and is closely monitored and adjusted when warranted by changing circumstances. Our history of claims experience is short and our significant growth rate could affect the accuracy of estimates based on historical experience. If a greater amount of claims occurs compared to what we estimated, or if medical costs increase beyond what we expected, our accrued liabilities might not be sufficient and we may be required to record additional expense. Unanticipated changes may also produce materially different amounts of expense than reported under these programs, which could adversely impact our results of operations.

Negative publicity relating to our restaurants or our company could adversely impact our reputation, which may significantly harm us.

We depend in part on customers’ perception of and connection to our brand. We may experience negative publicity from time to time relating to food quality, customer complaints, restaurant facilities, advertising and other business practices, litigation alleging illness or injury, regulatory issues, our suppliers’ potential failure to adhere to elements of our Food With Integrity protocols, other issues regarding the integrity of our suppliers’ food processing, employee relationships, or other matters, regardless of whether the allegations are valid or whether we are held to be responsible. The negative impact of adverse publicity relating to one or more restaurants or any of the foregoing topics may extend far beyond the restaurant(s) involved and affect many more, or even all, of our restaurants. The considerable expansion in the use of social media over recent years can further amplify any negative publicity that may be generated. A similar risk exists with respect to unrelated food service businesses, if consumers associate those businesses with our own operations.

Negative publicity may adversely impact customers’ perception of us, which could adversely impact our sales. If the impact of any such negative publicity is particularly long-lasting, the value of our brand may suffer and our ability to grow could be diminished. Additionally, negative publicity about our employment practices

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may affect our reputation among employees and potential employees, which could make it more difficult for us to attract and retain top-performing employees. That could adversely impact the quality of the customer experience we can offer and our operations generally, and may increase our labor costs as well.

We may not be able to adequately protect our intellectual property, which could harm the value of our brands and adversely affect our business.

Our ability to successfully implement our business plan depends in part on our ability to further build brand recognition using our trademarks, service marks, trade dress and other proprietary intellectual property, including our name and logos, our Food With Integrity strategy and the unique ambience of our restaurants. If our efforts to protect our intellectual property are inadequate, or if any third party misappropriates or infringes on our intellectual property, either in print or on the internet, the value of our brands may be harmed, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and might prevent our brands from achieving or maintaining market acceptance. We are aware of restaurants in foreign jurisdictions using menu items, logos and other branding that we believe are based on our intellectual property, and our ability to halt these restaurants from using these elements may be limited in jurisdictions in which we are not operating. This could have an adverse impact on our ability to successfully expand into other jurisdictions in the future. We may also encounter claims from prior users of similar intellectual property in areas where we operate or intend to conduct operations. This could harm our image, brand or competitive position and cause us to incur significant penalties and costs.

Our quarterly results may fluctuate significantly and could fall below the expectations of securities analysts and investors due to various factors.

Our quarterly results may fluctuate significantly and could fail to meet the expectations of securities analysts and investors because of various factors, including:

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Seasonal factors also cause our results to fluctuate from quarter to quarter. Our restaurant sales are typically lower during the winter months and the holiday season and during periods of inclement weather (because fewer people are eating out) and higher during the spring, summer and fall months (for the opposite reason). Our restaurant sales will also vary as a result of the number of trading days—that is, the number of days in a quarter when a restaurant is open.

As a result of these factors, results for any one quarter are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for any other quarter or for any year. Average restaurant sales or comparable restaurant sales in any particular future period may decrease. In the future, operating results may fall below the expectations of securities analysts and investors, which could cause our stock price to fall. We believe the market price of our common stock, which has generally traded at a higher price-earnings ratio than stocks of most or all of our peer companies, reflects high market expectations for our future operating results. The trading market for our common stock has been volatile at times as well. As a result, if we fail to meet market expectations for our operating results in the future, any resulting decline in the price of our common stock could be significant.

Our anti-takeover provisions may delay or prevent a change in control of us, which could adversely affect the price of our common stock.

Certain provisions in our corporate documents and Delaware law may delay or prevent a change in control of us, which could adversely affect the price of our common stock. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws contain some provisions that may make the acquisition of control of us without the approval of our board of directors more difficult, including provisions relating to the nomination, election and removal of directors, the structure of the board of directors and limitations on actions by our shareholders. In addition, Delaware law also imposes some restrictions on mergers and other business combinations between us and any holder of 15% or more of our outstanding common stock. Any of these provisions may discourage a potential acquirer from proposing or completing a transaction that may have otherwise presented a premium to our shareholders.

None.

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As of December 31, 2014, there were 1,783 Chipotle and other concept restaurants in operation. The table below sets forth the locations (by state or country) of all restaurants in operation.

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We categorize our restaurants as either end-caps (at the end of a line of retail outlets), in-lines (in a line of retail outlets), free-standing or other. Of our restaurants in operation as of December 31, 2014, we had 1,081 end-cap locations, 283 in-line locations, 315 free-standing units, and 104 other. The average restaurant size is about 2,550 square feet and seats about 58 people. Many of our restaurants also feature outdoor patio space.

Our main office is located at 1401 Wynkoop Street, Suite 500, Denver, Colorado, 80202 and our telephone number is (303) 595-4000. We lease our main office and substantially all of the properties on which we operate restaurants. For additional information regarding the lease terms and provisions, see Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Contractual Obligations,” as well as Note 7. “Leases” in our consolidated financial statements included in Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.”

We own sixteen properties and operate restaurants on all of them.

For information regarding legal proceedings, see Note 9. “Commitments and Contingencies” in our consolidated financial statements included in Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.”

Not applicable.

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PART II

The following table describes the per share range of high and low sales prices for shares of our common stock for the quarterly periods indicated, as reported by the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”). Our common stock trades on the NYSE under the symbol “CMG.”

As of January 26, 2015, there were approximately 1,062 holders of our common stock, as determined by counting our record holders and the number of participants reflected in a security position listing provided to us by the Depository Trust Company. Because such “DTC participants” are brokers and other institutions holding shares of our common stock on behalf of their customers, the actual number of unique shareholders represented by these record holders is not known.

Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer

The table below reflects shares of common stock we repurchased during the fourth quarter of 2014.

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Dividend Policy

We are not required to pay any dividends and have not declared or paid any cash dividends on our common stock. We intend to continue to retain earnings for use in the operation and expansion of our business and therefore do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future.

COMPARISON OF CUMULATIVE TOTAL RETURN

The following graph compares the cumulative annual stockholders return on our common stock from December 31, 2009 through December 31, 2014 to that of the total return index for the S&P 500 and the S&P 500 Restaurants Index assuming an investment of $100 on December 31, 2009. In calculating total annual stockholder return, reinvestment of dividends, if any, is assumed. The indices are included for comparative purposes only. They do not necessarily reflect management’s opinion that such indices are an appropriate measure of the relative performance of our common stock. This graph is not “soliciting material,” is not deemed filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and is not to be incorporated by reference in any of our filings under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, whether made before or after the date hereof and irrespective of any general incorporation language in any such filing.

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Our selected consolidated financial data shown below should be read together with Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our consolidated financial statements and respective notes included in Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.” The data shown below are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for any future period (in thousands, except per share data).

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You should read the following discussion together with Item 6. “Selected Financial Data” and our consolidated financial statements and related notes included in Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.” The discussion contains forward-looking statements involving risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause our results to differ materially from expectations. Factors that might cause such differences include those described in Item 1A. “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this report.

Overview

Chipotle operates fresh Mexican food restaurants serving burritos, tacos, burrito bowls (a burrito without the tortilla) and salads. We began with a simple philosophy: demonstrate that food served fast doesn’t have to be a traditional “fast-food” experience. We do this by avoiding a formulaic approach when creating our restaurant experience, looking to fine dining restaurants for inspiration. We use high-quality raw ingredients, classic cooking methods and distinctive interior design, and have friendly people to take care of each customer—features that are more frequently found in the world of fine dining. Our approach is also guided by our belief in an idea we call “Food With Integrity.” Our objective is to find the highest quality ingredients we can—ingredients that are grown or raised with respect for the environment, animals, and people who grow or raise the food. A similarly focused people culture, with an emphasis on identifying and empowering top performing employees, enables us to develop future leaders from within.

2014 Highlights and Trends

Restaurant Development. As of December 31, 2014, we had 1,783 restaurants in operation, including 1,755 Chipotle restaurants throughout the United States, with an additional seven in Canada, six in England, three in France, and one in Germany. Our restaurants include nine ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen restaurants, serving Asian-inspired cuisine, and we are an investor in a consolidated entity that owns and operates two Pizzeria Locale restaurants, a fast casual pizza concept. New restaurants have contributed substantially to our restaurant sales growth and we opened 192 restaurants in 2014, and expect to open between 190 and 205 restaurants in 2015, including a small number of ShopHouse and Pizzeria Locale restaurants.

Sales Growth. Average restaurant sales were $2.472 million as of December 31, 2014, increasing from $2.169 million as of December 31, 2013. We define average restaurant sales as the average trailing 12-month sales for restaurants in operation for at least 12 full calendar months. Our comparable restaurant sales increases were 16.8% in 2014. Comparable restaurant sales represent the change in period-over-period sales for restaurants beginning in their 13th full calendar month of operation. Comparable restaurant sales increases in 2014 were driven primarily by an increase in customer visits, and to a lesser extent from an increase in average check, including the impact of a menu price increase during the second quarter of 2014 at all U.S. Chipotle locations. Menu price increases accounted for 3.8% of our comparable restaurant sales increases for 2014. We expect 2015 comparable restaurant sales to be in the low to mid-single digits as comparisons become more difficult, particularly during the final three quarters of the year.

During 2013, we launched our catering service in Chipotle restaurants throughout the U.S, except New York City. Catering represented approximately 1.3% of revenue for the year ended 2014.

Food With Integrity. In all of our restaurants, we endeavor to serve only meats that were raised without the use of non-therapeutic antibiotics or added hormones, and in accordance with criteria we’ve established in an effort to improve sustainability and promote animal welfare. We brand these meats as “Responsibly Raised ^TM.” In addition, a portion of some of the produce items we serve is organically grown, and/or sourced locally when in season (by which we mean within 350 miles of the restaurant where it is served), and a portion of the beans we serve is organically grown and a portion is grown using conservation tillage methods that improve soil conditions, reduce erosion and help preserve the environment in which they are grown. The sour cream and cheese we buy is made with milk that comes from cows that are not given rBGH. Milk used to make much of our

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cheese and all of our sour cream is sourced from pasture-based dairies that provide an even higher standard of animal welfare by providing outdoor access for their cows. Further, we disclose on our website which ingredients contain genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, and we are working to replace ingredients containing GMOs in our food (not including beverages) with non-GMO ingredients. While the meat and poultry we serve is not genetically modified, the animals are likely fed a diet containing GMOs. We will continue to search for quality ingredients that not only taste delicious, but also benefit local farmers or the environment, or otherwise benefit or improve the sustainability of our supply chain.

One of our primary goals is for all of our restaurants to continue serving meats that are raised to meet our standards, but we have and will continue to face challenges in doing so. In January 2015, through an ongoing audit of our suppliers, we identified a pork supplier that was not meeting our standards related to the size and condition of the housing offered to some of the pigs, so we suspended our purchases from this supplier. Without this supply, we cannot get enough pork that meets our standards for all of our restaurants, and we will not be able to serve carnitas in about one-third of our U.S. restaurants until we can find additional sources which meet our standards to make up the shortfall. Because we have elected to remove all affected pork from our supply chain, including our distribution centers, and—because the meat is food safe but does not meet our rigorous standards—we disposed of it, primarily through donations to local food banks. Some of our restaurants served conventionally raised beef and chicken for periods during 2014 and we expect to serve conventionally raised beef in 2015, due to supply constraints for our Responsibly Raised meats. More of our restaurants may periodically serve conventionally raised meats in the future due to supply constraints. When we become aware that one or more of our restaurants will serve conventionally raised meat, we clearly and specifically disclose this temporary change on signage in each affected restaurant, so that customers can avoid those meats if they choose to do so.

Our food costs increased as a percentage of revenue in 2014 as a result of inflationary pressures on many of our ingredients, primarily beef, avocados, and dairy. The increase was partially offset by the impact of the menu price increase in the second quarter. We expect that food costs as a percentage of revenue in 2015 will remain consistent with the full year 2014 or will increase slightly.

Stock Repurchases. In accordance with stock repurchases authorized by our Board of Directors we purchased shares of our common stock with an aggregate total repurchase price of $88.0 million during 2014. As of December 31, 2014, $102.2 million was available to be repurchased under the current repurchase authorizations announced on February 5, 2013 and April 17, 2014. On February 3, 2015 we announced that our Board of Directors authorized the expenditure of up to an additional $100 million to repurchase shares of our common stock. We have entered into an agreement with a broker under SEC rule 10b5-1(c), authorizing the broker to make open market purchases of common stock from time to time, subject to market conditions. The existing repurchase agreement and the Board’s authorization of the repurchases may be modified, suspended, or discontinued at any time.

Restaurant Openings, Relocations and Closures

The following table details restaurant unit data for the years indicated.

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Results of Operations

Our results of operations as a percentage of revenue and period-over-period variances are discussed in the following section. As our business grows, as we open more restaurants and hire more employees, our restaurant operating costs and depreciation and amortization increase.

Revenue

In 2014, the significant factors contributing to our increases in sales were comparable restaurant sales and new restaurant openings. Comparable restaurant sales increases contributed $530.0 million of the increase in restaurant sales, due primarily to increases in customer visits, and an increase in average check price, including the benefit from menu price increases. Restaurant sales from restaurants not yet in the comparable base contributed $364.7 million of the increase in sales in 2014, of which $173.9 million was attributable to restaurants opened during the year.

In 2013, the significant factors contributing to our increases in sales were new restaurant openings and comparable restaurant sales. Restaurant sales from restaurants not yet in the comparable restaurant base contributed $333.9 million of the increase in sales, of which $156.6 million was attributable to restaurants opened in 2013. Comparable restaurant sales increases contributed $150.3 million of the increase in restaurant sales, due primarily to increases in customer visits.

Food, Beverage and Packaging Costs

Food, beverage and packaging costs increased as a percentage of revenue in 2014 due to inflation on many food items, primarily beef, avocados, and dairy. The increase was partially offset by the impact of menu price increases. We expect that food costs as a percentage of revenue in 2015 will remain consistent with the full year 2014 or will increase slightly.

Food, beverage and packaging costs increased as a percentage of revenue in 2013 due to inflation on many food items, particularly salsa ingredients, as well as dairy, cooking oils, and chicken.

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Labor Costs

Labor costs as a percentage of revenue decreased in 2014 due primarily to the benefit of higher average restaurant sales, including the impact of menu price increases, partially offset by an increased number of managers and crew in our restaurants and normal wage inflation. In 2015, we expect labor costs to increase slightly as a percentage of revenue due to the Affordable Care Act and minimum wage increases in a number of jurisdictions.

Labor costs as a percentage of revenue decreased in 2013 due primarily to the benefit of higher average restaurant sales.

Occupancy Costs

Occupancy costs decreased as a percentage of revenue in 2014 and in 2013 primarily due to the benefit of higher average restaurant sales on a partially fixed-cost base.

Other Operating Costs

Other operating costs include, among other items, marketing and promotional costs, bank and credit card fees, and restaurant utilities and maintenance costs. Other operating costs decreased in 2014 due primarily to the benefit of higher average restaurant sales on a partially fixed-cost base. We expect marketing and promotional spend as a percentage of revenue for 2015 to remain consistent with the full year 2014 or increase slightly.

Other operating costs increased as a percentage of revenue in 2013 due primarily to higher spend on marketing and promotions.

General and Administrative Expenses

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The increase in general and administrative expenses in dollar terms in 2014 primarily resulted from increased non-cash stock-based compensation expense, higher payroll and bonus costs as we grew, as well costs from our biennial All Managers’ Conference, or AMC, held in the third quarter of 2014.

The increase in general and administrative expenses in dollar terms in 2013 primarily resulted from increased payroll and benefits costs as we grew and increased legal costs, partially offset by costs from our biennial AMC held during 2012, as well as a decrease in 2013 in non-cash stock based compensation expense due to expenses in 2012 related to non-vested stock awards subject to performance conditions.

Depreciation and Amortization

As a percentage of revenue, depreciation and amortization decreased in 2014 and 2013 as a result of the benefit of higher average restaurant sales on a partially fixed-cost base.

Income Tax Provision

The 2014 effective tax rate decreased by 1.1% from 2013 due to a decrease in the state tax rate and filing the 2013 tax returns, which included a change in the estimate of usable employer credits.

The 2013 effective tax rate decreased by 0.6% from 2012 due primarily to certain federal tax credits that were extended in 2013, for both 2013 and 2012, which benefited the rate by 1.1%. This decrease was partially offset by non-recurring adjustments related to state income taxes.

We estimate our 2015 annual effective tax rate will be 39.0%, increasing from 2014 due to the expiration of certain federal tax credits.

Quarterly Financial Data/Seasonality

The following table presents data from the consolidated statement of income and comprehensive income for each of the eight quarters in the period ended December 31, 2014. The operating results for any quarter are not necessarily indicative of the results for any subsequent quarter.

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Seasonal factors cause our profitability to fluctuate from quarter to quarter. Historically, our average daily restaurant sales and net income are lower in the first and fourth quarters due, in part, to the holiday season and because fewer people eat out during periods of inclement weather (the winter months) than during periods of mild or warm weather (the spring, summer and fall months). Other factors also have a seasonal effect on our results. For example, restaurants located near colleges and universities generally do more business during the academic year. Seasonal factors, however, might be moderated or outweighed by other factors that may influence our quarterly results, such as fluctuations in food or packaging costs or the timing of menu price increases. The number of trading days in a quarter can also affect our results. Overall, on an annual basis, changes in trading dates do not have a significant impact on our results.

Our quarterly results are also affected by other factors such as the amount and timing of non-cash stock-based compensation expense, the number of new restaurants opened in a quarter and unanticipated events. New restaurants typically have lower margins following opening as a result of the expenses associated with opening new restaurants and their operating inefficiencies in the months immediately following opening. In addition, unanticipated events also impact our results. Accordingly, results for a particular quarter are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for any other quarter or for any year.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Our primary liquidity and capital requirements are for new restaurant construction, working capital and general corporate needs. We have a cash and short-term investment balance of $758.1 million that we expect to utilize, along with cash flow from operations, to provide capital to support the growth of our business (primarily through opening restaurants), to repurchase additional shares of our common stock subject to market conditions (including up to $102.2 million in repurchases under programs authorized as of December 31, 2014 and an additional $100 million program announced on February 3, 2015), to maintain our existing restaurants and for general corporate purposes. We also have a long term investments balance of $496.1 million, which consists of U.S. treasury notes and certificate of deposit products with maturities of 13 months to approximately 2 years. We believe that cash from operations, together with our cash and investment balances, will be enough to meet ongoing capital expenditures, working capital requirements and other cash needs for the foreseeable future.

We haven’t required significant working capital because customers generally pay using cash or credit and debit cards and because our operations do not require significant receivables, nor do they require significant inventories due, in part, to our use of various fresh ingredients. In addition, we generally have the right to pay for the purchase of food, beverage and supplies some time after the receipt of those items, generally within ten days, thereby reducing the need for incremental working capital to support our growth.

While operations continue to provide cash, our primary use of cash is in new restaurant development. Our total capital expenditures for 2014 were $252.6 million, which included the purchase of a corporate aircraft for a total cost of approximately $24 million; the majority of that amount was paid during 2014. We expect to incur capital expenditures of about $235 million in 2015, of which about $180 million relates to our construction of new restaurants before any reductions for landlord reimbursements, and the remainder primarily relates to restaurant reinvestments. In 2014, for Chipotle restaurants in the U.S., we spent on average about $843,000 in development and construction costs per restaurant, net of landlord reimbursements of approximately $60,000, and for all restaurants including international locations we spent on average about $849,000, net of landlord reimbursements of approximately $66,000. For new restaurants to be opened in 2015, we anticipate average development costs will slightly decrease due primarily to the mix of locations and categories.

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Contractual Obligations

Our contractual obligations as of December 31, 2014 were as follows:

We’re obligated under non-cancelable leases for our restaurants and administrative offices. Our leases generally have initial terms of either five to ten years with two or more five-year extensions, for end-cap and in-line restaurants, or 15 to 20 years with several five-year extensions, for free-standing restaurants. Our leases generally require us to pay a proportionate share of real estate taxes, insurance, common charges and other operating costs. Some restaurant leases provide for contingent rental payments based on sales thresholds, although we generally do not expect to pay significant contingent rent on these properties based on the thresholds in those leases.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

As of December 31, 2014 and 2013, we had no off-balance sheet arrangements or obligations.

Inflation

The primary areas of our operations affected by inflation are food, healthcare costs, labor, fuel, utility costs, materials used in the construction of our restaurants, and insurance. Although almost all of our crew members make more than the federal and applicable state and local minimum wage, increases in the applicable federal or state minimum wage may have an impact on our labor costs. Additionally, many of our leases require us to pay taxes, maintenance, utilities and insurance, all of which are generally subject to inflationary increases. Inflationary increases have increased our food, beverage, and packaging costs as a percentage of revenue for the past three years. These increases have been partially offset with menu price increases.

Critical Accounting Estimates

We describe our significant accounting policies in Note 1 of our consolidated financial statements included in Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.” Critical accounting estimates are those that we believe are both significant and that require us to make difficult, subjective or complex judgments, often because we need to estimate the effect of inherently uncertain matters. We base our estimates and judgments on historical experiences and various other factors that we believe to be appropriate under the circumstances. Actual results may differ from these estimates, and we might obtain different estimates if we used different assumptions or factors. We believe the following critical accounting estimates affect our more significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our financial statements:

Leases

We lease nearly all of our restaurant locations. Our leases typically contain escalating rentals over the lease term as well as optional renewal periods. We have estimated that our lease term, including reasonably assured renewal periods, is the lesser of the lease term or 20 years. We account for our leases by recognizing rent expense

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on a straight-line basis over the reasonably assured lease term. The majority of our leasehold improvements are also depreciated over the reasonably assured lease term. If the estimate of our reasonably assured lease term was changed, our depreciation and rent expense could differ materially.

Stock-based Compensation

We recognize compensation expense for equity awards over the vesting period based on the award’s fair value. We use the Black-Scholes valuation model to determine the fair value of our stock-only stock appreciation rights, or SOSARs, which requires assumptions to be made regarding our stock price volatility, the expected life of the award and expected dividend rates. The volatility assumption was based on our historical data and implied volatility, and the expected life assumptions were based on our historical data. Similarly, the compensation expense of performance share awards and SOSARs with performance-based vesting conditions is based in part on the estimated probability of our achieving levels of performance associated with particular levels of payout for performance shares and with vesting for performance SOSARs. We determine the probability of achievement of future levels of performance by comparing the relevant performance level with our internal estimates of future performance. Those estimates are based on a number of assumptions, and different assumptions may have resulted in different conclusions regarding the probability of our achieving future levels of performance relevant to the payout levels for the awards. Had we arrived at different assumptions of stock price volatility or expected lives of our SOSARs, or different assumptions regarding the probability of our achieving future levels of performance with respect to performance share awards and performance SOSARs, our stock-based compensation expense and results of operations could have been different.

Insurance Liability

We maintain various insurance policies for workers’ compensation, general liability and auto damage with varying deductibles as high as $1 million, and for property which generally has a $1.5 million deductible. We are self insured for employee health but have third party insurance coverage to limit exposure to these claims. We record a liability that represents our estimated cost of claims incurred and unpaid as of the balance sheet date. Our estimated liability is not discounted and is based on a number of assumptions and factors, including historical trends, actuarial assumptions and economic conditions, and is closely monitored and adjusted when warranted by changing circumstances. In addition, our history of claims experience is short and our significant growth rate could affect the accuracy of estimates based on historical experience. Should a greater amount of claims occur compared to what was estimated or medical costs increase beyond what was expected, our accrued liabilities might not be sufficient and additional expenses may be recorded. Actual claims experience could also be more favorable than estimated, which would result in expense reductions. Unanticipated changes may produce materially different amounts of expense than that reported under these programs. The total estimated insurance liabilities as of December 31, 2014 were $34.0 million.

Reserves/Contingencies for Litigation and Other Matters

We are involved in various claims and legal actions that arise in the ordinary course of business. These actions are subject to many uncertainties, and we cannot predict the outcomes with any degree of certainty. Consequently, we were unable to ascertain the ultimate aggregate amount of monetary liability or financial impact with respect to these matters as of December 31, 2014 and 2013. Although we have recorded liabilities related to a number of legal actions, our estimates used to determine the amount of these liabilities may not be accurate, and there are other legal actions for which we have not recorded a liability. As a result, in the event legal actions for which we have not accrued a liability or for which our accrued liabilities are not accurate are resolved, such resolution may affect our operating results and cash flows.

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Commodity Price Risks

We are also exposed to commodity price risks. Many of the ingredients we use to prepare our food, as well as our packaging materials, are commodities or ingredients that are affected by the price of other commodities, exchange rates, foreign demand, weather, seasonality, production, availability and other factors outside our control. We work closely with our suppliers and use a mix of forward pricing protocols under which we agree with our supplier on fixed prices for deliveries at some time in the future, fixed pricing protocols under which we agree on a fixed price with our supplier for the duration of that protocol, and formula pricing protocols under which the prices we pay are based on a specified formula related to the prices of the goods, such as spot prices. However, a majority of the dollar value of goods purchased by us is effectively at spot prices. Generally our pricing protocols with suppliers can remain in effect for periods ranging from one to 18 months, depending on the outlook for prices of the particular ingredient. In several cases, we have minimum purchase obligations. We’ve tried to increase, where necessary, the number of suppliers for our ingredients, which we believe can help mitigate pricing volatility, and we follow industry news, trade issues, exchange rates, foreign demand, weather, crises and other world events that may affect our ingredient prices. Increases in ingredient prices could adversely affect our results if we choose for competitive or other reasons not to increase menu prices at the same rate at which ingredient costs increase, or if menu price increases result in customer resistance.

Changing Interest Rates

We are exposed to interest rate risk through fluctuations of interest rates on our investments. Changes in interest rates affect the interest income we earn, and therefore impact our cash flows and results of operations. As of December 31, 2014, we had $981.1 million in investments and interest-bearing cash accounts, including an insurance related restricted trust account classified in other assets, and $262.2 million in accounts with an earnings credit we classify as interest income, which combined earned a weighted average interest rate of 0.43%.

Foreign Currency Exchange Risk

A portion of our operations consist of activities outside of the U.S. and we have currency risk on the transactions in other currencies and translation adjustments resulting from the conversion of our international financial results into the U.S. dollar. However, a substantial majority of our operations and investment activities are transacted in the U.S. and therefore our foreign currency risk is limited at this date.

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INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

The Board of Directors and Shareholders of

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, and the related consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income, shareholders’ equity and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2014. These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated financial position of Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. at December 31, 2014 and 2013, and the consolidated results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2014, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2014, based on criteria established in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 framework) and our report dated February 4, 2015 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.

/s/ Ernst & Young LLP

Denver, Colorado

February 4, 2015

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CHIPOTLE MEXICAN GRILL, INC.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET

(in thousands, except per share data)