Chipotle

Company: Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.

Brand Value: $7,850 Million

Headquarters: Denver, CO

Year on Year Change: 33%

Category: Fast Food

Year Formed: 1993

Chipotle, specializing in a Mexican-inspired menu of tacos and burritos, is one of the first fast casual restaurant chains. Founded by graduate of the French Culinary Institute Steve Ells, the brand distinguished itself early on by presenting “food with integrity.” While the exact definition of this has changed over time, it has generally meant using locally-sourced, higher-quality ingredients, which translate to superior taste and value. Changes, however, may be afoot for the brand. Recently, Chipotle has been experiencing strong growth, especially in the areas of digital and delivery—making it easily the fastest growing brand by brand value in its category this year.