Chipotle首席财务官Adam Rymer在第二季度财报电话会议上表示，公司正看到越来越多的顾客转向更低价格的肉类选项。牛排和Barbacoa等高端肉类的顾客正在更多地选择鸡肉。尽管公司总营收有所增长，但同店销售额却下降了4%，部分原因是顾客选择更便宜的菜品以及来店用餐的群体规模变小。此趋势与美国快餐行业整体向鸡肉倾斜的趋势相符，例如麦当劳、Popeyes和Taco Bell等品牌都在加强其鸡肉产品的推广。Chipotle的蜂蜜鸡肉产品也受到了顾客的喜爱，显示出鸡肉作为一种受欢迎的蛋白质来源的地位日益巩固。

🍗 Chipotle顾客消费习惯转变：财报显示，Chipotle顾客正从牛排和Barbacoa等价格较高的肉类转向更经济实惠的鸡肉选项。这一现象表明消费者在餐饮选择上更加注重成本效益。

📉 同店销售额下降原因分析：除了顾客转向低价肉类外，同店销售额的下滑还与顾客来店用餐的群体规模变小有关。这可能反映了消费者在整体支出上的谨慎态度。

📈 鸡肉在美国快餐业的崛起：Chipotle的趋势并非孤例，美国快餐行业整体正朝着鸡肉倾斜。麦当劳、Popeyes和Taco Bell等品牌都在大力推广其鸡肉产品，显示出鸡肉作为一种主流蛋白质的受欢迎程度。

🍯 Chipotle蜂蜜鸡肉的成功：Chipotle推出的限时蜂蜜鸡肉产品受到了顾客的广泛欢迎，四分之一的顾客选择该产品，这证明了鸡肉在Chipotle菜单上的巨大潜力，也印证了鸡肉作为顾客首选蛋白质的趋势。

At Chipotle, chicken is now the meat of choice over beef.The chain's finance chief said more Chipotle customers are switching to lower-priced proteins.Chicken is becoming the most popular protein in the US, and fast food chains are leaning in.

Chicken is winning over beef at Chipotle.

In a second-quarter earnings call on Wednesday, the burrito chain's finance chief, Adam Rymer, said customers are opting for lower-priced meats at their outlets.

The company reported a total revenue increase of 3% in the latest quarter compared to the year before, with sales of $3.1 billion. But same-store sales dropped 4%.

Answering a question about same-store sales trends, Rymer said, "There's also been a little bit of a shift to lower-priced entrées, so think of that as your steak and barbacoa customers shifting a little bit more to chicken than we've seen, kind of, in the past."

Rymer also added that same-store sales were down because customers were visiting the outlets in smaller group sizes.

Chipotle's steak and barbacoa proteins hold a roughly $2 premium over its chicken option.

Chicken is rising in the ranks to become the most popular protein source in the US. Poultry — which includes chicken, egg, and turkey products — is the most consumed animal protein in the US, per a 2024 report by the US Department of Agriculture.

Food brands are seeing their chicken products perform well and are leaning harder into the protein.

Rymer said Chipotle's limited-time-only honey chicken, launched in March, was a favorite among customers, with one in every four guests ordering it.

In February 2024, McDonald's CEO, Chris Kempczinski, said the company was making as much money from its chicken products as it was from beef burgers.

In June, McDonald's relaunched its cult favorite Snack Wrap menu items, which it had stopped selling in 2016. It faced competition from fried chicken chain Popeyes, which lowered the price of its chicken wrap during the same period.

Taco Bell brought back its chicken nuggets for a limited time in April, and plans to make crispy chicken a permanent fixture in its menu by 2026.

And Din Tai Fung's North America CEOs told BI that they started offering chicken-based versions of their iconic pork soup dumplings from Taiwan, because it was the protein of choice in the US.

Chipotle's stock had dipped nearly 10% in after-hours trading early Thursday morning.

Representatives of Chipotle did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.