Beginning April 29th, Chipotle will raise the bar in the fast-casual dining game by adding Patrón Silver Tequila as an option for its margaritas. This comes in addition to the selection of bottled beers already offered at the about 900 Chiptole locations that have liquor licenses.
Chipotle already offers a standard margarita that retails for about $5. That margarita is made using Sauza Tequila, and a standard margarita mix. The new margarita will have a retail cost between $6.50 to $8 due to its main ingredient, Patrón Silver Tequila retailing for more than $40 a bottle.
“The motivator for this new margarita was to make [the old one] taste better,†Chipotle spokeswoman Danielle Winslow told BusinessWeek.
“Historically, margaritas account for a pretty small percentage of sales – between 1 and 2% – but we think there may be more interest in this Patrón premium margarita,†Winslow added.
“Our new margarita recipe eliminates the mix in favor of a few simple ingredients. The new margarita tastes much better and is a really terrific addition to our menu,†said Mark Crumpacker, chief marketing officer at Chipotle. “Our new margarita recipe eliminates the mix in favor of a few simple ingredients. The new margarita tastes much better and is a really terrific addition to our menu.â€
Experts forecast sales of margarita’s to translate to about $27.3 million to $54.6 million dollars, based on 2012 revenues for the fast-causal dinning brand.