Chipotle to Close All 15 ShopHouse Locations

NEW YORK (AP) — Chipotle plans to close all 15 of its ShopHouse restaurants next week, ending its attempt to expand into Asian fusion. The company had said last year that it was exploring options for the spinoff chain.

The decision announced Thursday comes as Denver-based Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. works to recover from a series of food scares that have sent sales plunging, with sales down 20 percent at established locations for 2016.

Chipotle spokesman Chris Arnold said the ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen restaurants, which are in California, Washington, D.C., and elsewhere, will close March 17.

He said employees will be offered jobs at Chipotle, and will be paid for a week beyond closing as they transition. The closings were first reported by Nation's Restaurant News.