Chipotle Is Thinking About Opening a Burger Chain

Burrito maker Chipotle may be set to get into making hamburgers after it filed a trademark application for “Better Burger,” according to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website.

The Denver-based fast-casual giant, which already owns pizza and Southeast Asian cuisine chains in addition to its flagship burrito brand, confirmed to Bloomberg that it is testing the waters on opening a burger chain as well.

“It’s a growth seed idea we are exploring,” spokesman Chris Arnold told Bloomberg. “We have two non-Chipotle growth seeds open now — ShopHouse and Pizzeria Locale — and have noted before that the Chipotle model could be applied to a wide variety of foods.”

Chipotle is currently recovering after food safety concerns arose last year, when the chain suffered a series of E. coli and norovirus outbreaks, which drove away customers and prompted an investigation by the Centers for the Disease Control and Prevention. The company has warned shareholders that it expects to report its first ever first quarter sales loss in April.