Chipotle Mexican Grill has unveiled a new fully electric restaurant design that aims to utilize 100% renewable energy and maximize energy efficiency in its equipment and systems.
The chain has recently opened restaurants with these new features in Gloucester, Virginia and Jacksonville, Florida, with a third location set to open later this summer in Castle Rock, Colorado. This design pilot will help the company progress towards its sustainability targets, formed in alignment with Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), to reduce direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions 50% by 2030 compared to 2019 levels.
Chipotle aims to have more than 100 of its new locations in 2024 utilize this new model. Its impact will be further extended as the company plans to eventually grow to 7,000 locations in North America. The design will continue to evolve as restaurants receive additional feedback and insights.
Key features of the new restaurant design include rooftop solar panels, all-electric equipment and systems to replace gas power, heat pump water heaters, smaller electric cooklines and improved exhaust hoods, energy management systems, biodegradable service ware, cactus leather chairs, artwork made from recycled materials, and electric vehicle charging stations.
"With our aggressive development goal in North America, we hold ourselves accountable to reduce the environmental impact of our restaurants," said Laurie Schalow, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Chipotle. "We are aiming to incorporate some elements of our responsible restaurant design into many of our new restaurant openings going forward."
10 Comments
Question: If the building is 100% electric but the energy provided by local power grid uses fossil fuels to create the electricity is the building still green?
I'm being serious. In a recent project we calculated that by going 100% electric the building would actually create around 27% more carbon emissions per year than if it use a combination of electric and natural gas. This is of course using today's current energy production methods. We decided to set up the building in question to be easily convertible to go 100% electric in the future while still using natural gas.
Yup. But some people think Virtue signals get absorbed by the earth and turn into butterflies.
It states the electricity is 100% renewable, so no fossil fuels are being burned to produce the electricity. I’m not anti natural gas, but it’s definitely possible to build net zero all electric buildings with today’s technology. It’s easy to name call (virtue signal, green wash, etc.) but to quote Minor Threat,” you may say that I make no difference, we’ll at least I’m fucking trying, what the fuck have you done?”
Municipal energy portfolios are quickly moving away from fossil fuels. It's easier to convert the source feeding the grid for all-electric buildings than to retrofit buildings designed around gas down the road.
Just like Architecture Green is subjective based on the state you live in. Green ratings in New York not the same as Green ratings in Alaska. Depends on how much the environment in a particular area can take before renewal.
edwardsinger -
The article says that the electricity is 100% renewable however there is no way for all the locations to achieve that.
In addition, power companies in the USA are allowed to say that 100% of their electrical power is from renewable sources if they don't use any coal and a minimum of 51% of the electricity being produced is from renewable sources.
Finally, I know for a fact that electrical power in Castle Rock, CO is not 100% renewable. Roughly 65% of their electrical power is from natural gas.
All-electric, but plenty of gas still produced.
Just capture the fumes from the restrooms and it will be net zero.
Zero air changes/ minute. And don't use that lighter!
Look at that building. None of it matters. It is still a crappy stand alone satellite building, in a crappy car dependent suburb, in some crappy car dependent city. It is designed around big dumb American cars. They can make the building as green as they want. Everything around it is just suburban garbage.
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