Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. (CMG) Chief Executive Officer Steve Ells said his new restaurant, ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen, was born during a two-week eating spree in Thailand and Singapore last year.
“I was very inspired by Southeast Asian food and the fact that it would lend itself to the Chipotle format,” Ells, 46, said in an interview yesterday.
Along with Tim Wildin, Chipotle’s concept developer, Ells sampled noodle soups and curries at family-run storefronts, took cooking classes and visited local markets during the two week visit to Asia. Last week, Denver-based Chipotle opened the first ShopHouse in Washington’s Dupont Circle, and optimism the restaurant may grow into a successful chain contributed to a recent climb for the company’s shares.