Chipotle Diehards Aren’t Turned Off by the Chain’s Higher Prices

Higher prices and online ordering boost Chipotle

If diehard Chipotle eaters aren’t dropping the chain over its numerous food-safety disasters, higher prices aren’t going to discourage them, either. Chipotle raised prices by about five percent in January, and that has paid off with a jump in sales revenue, reports the Wall Street Journal. However, it seems the chain’s casual consumers are disappearing, because the increase comes as the actual number of sales has declined. Focusing on online ordering has been going well, and that may be Chipotle’s bread and butter going forward. Though, it remains to be seen if recent online sales received an artificial boost due to a free-delivery promotion.

Salt, fat, acid, heat — and candy

Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat author Samin Nosrat has jumped into the living rooms and hearts of Americans with the Netflix adaptation of her best-selling cookbook. After diving into the basic elements that make food delicious, Nosrat is now taking on the art of candy tasting for the New York Times’s candy issue. “I love that, unlike every other part of my food-related work, there’s nothing local, seasonal or organic about these candies,” she writes. “It doesn’t have to mean anything. There’s nothing but fun.”

And in other food news ...

• Here is a brief history of the Michelin stars, from their origins in the late 19th century to their internationally recognized status as a symbol of culinary excellence today. [BBC]
• Do you want to drink whiskey that tastes like peanut butter? Because that is a thing that exists. [Esquire]
• These days, a zombie apocalypse doesn’t sound so bad. Here’s a guide featuring the best wines to drink when the collapse of society arrives via flesh-eating undead. [Wine Enthusiast]
• Did you know there is a subreddit that is devoted to figuring out who people are, based on shots of their open refrigerators? It’s called Fridge Detective. [New Yorker]
• Finally, a Wall Street Journal exposé of the toxic company culture at Netflix contains this nugget: “Suggesting [the belated firing of an executive who used a racial slur during a meeting] could be a learning experience for the company, [CEO Reed Hastings] pulled out a lemon and a knife, cut the lemon and squeezed it into a cup, according to people who attended. ‘When life gives you lemons,’ he said, taking a swig on stage, ‘you make lemonade.’” Someone needs to tell Hastings simply squeezing lemon juice into a cup is not how one makes lemonade. [WSJ]