'I Don't Want To Do It': Chipotle Refuses To Follow McDonald's Value Menu Strategy

There was a torrent of rejoicing when McDonald's brought back its McValue menu last year, but Chipotle fans hoping their favorite fast casual restaurant might follow suit are in for disappointing news. Chipotle's CEO, Scott Boatwright, was recently asked about adding a dollar menu option for customers looking to save some dough while eating out, and he quickly threw cold water on the idea. "I don't want to do it," he said (via Yahoo Finance).

In his mind, the company already provides its fare to customers for a reasonable price. "I think the value of our offering is very compelling," he said. "You know, our food is worth, in my mind, every penny we ask someone to pay for it. I don't want to devalue our core offering." People who disagree will either have to stick to using sneaky tactics to get more meat on their Chipotle order or ditch the Colorado-based chain and head to McDonald's for cheaper options.

Given the company's commitment to serving food made with fresh, quality ingredients, it makes sense that a dramatic price drop might not be feasible. Still, the news that Chipotle won't be adding a dollar menu follows a recent earnings call where Boatwright claimed that roughly 60% of its clientele earn more than $100,000 annually. Even if that's true, the Mexican grill has experienced a slump in sales recently, with its last fourth-quarter sales report revealing a 2.5% decline. However, while a dollar menu may be off the table, that doesn't mean Chipotle isn't strategizing ways to attract customers making less than six figures.

Although Chipotle has no plans to mimic McDonald's McValue menu, the restaurant does have some special promotions in the works to garner more foot traffic. Most recently, the chain handed out $1 million in free food to 100,000 lucky customers for the Super Bowl. CEO Scott Boatwright indicated the company may offer comparable promotions in the future.

Chipotle is also going to experiment with a "Happier Hour." No, the fast casual restaurant isn't planning to sell beer with its food again (even McDonald's only does that internationally). The Happier Hour promotion will be geared toward discounted menu items at specific times of the day to win over potential customers who aren't big on breaking the bank for a quick meal. How cheap will the offerings be? "So we have more work to do on exactly what we'll launch in the test, but we're thinking something probably lower than 10 bucks," Boatwright said (per Yahoo Finance).

Another approach the company is taking to increase sales is advertising limited-time offers, like its current Chicken Al Pastor dish, as well as selling small bowls of grilled chicken for a reasonable $3.95. Whether this will be enough to reverse the trend of declining sales is anyone's guess. This writer's take: Forget Happier Hour -– greenlight the "Ozzy burrito" people have been clamoring for as a limited-time offer to draw in the crowds.