Walking The Guac For Sustainability; Chipotle To Donate 100 Percent Of Guacamole Sales On June 28 To The Land Institute

(Wednesday, June 28, 2006) - Ever thought of ordering a
side of sustainability with your carnitas or crispy chicken tacos? On
Wednesday, June 28, when burrito enthusiasts file into their nearest
Chipotle, this option will be on the menu, and it will be as easy as
adding fresh, handmade guacamole to any order.

On that day, Chipotle restaurants across the country will donate
100 percent of guacamole sales (up to $50,000) to The Land Institute,
a nonprofit research and education organization focused on building
ecologically stable agricultural systems. The donation will help
support the Institute, based in Salina, Kan., in its ongoing efforts
to develop Natural Systems Agriculture, an agricultural system that
mimics nature's own solutions to problems such as soil erosion, weed
invasions, diseases and even climate change.

With Natural Systems Agriculture, crops such as wheat, corn and
soybeans are transformed to perennial plants, coming back year after
year without the need for replanting. They require little or no
tilling or petrochemical fertilizers or pesticides, and ultimately
reinvigorate and replenish depleted soils. According to the Institute,
this sun-based, natural system could very well revolutionize
agriculture worldwide for future generations. Wes Jackson, president
of the Institute, who was recently profiled in Smithsonian magazine as
one of the country's top 35 innovators, has long been an outspoken
advocate for sustainable agriculture.

"Our work is about finding ecologically progressive alternatives
to fossil fuel-based industrial agriculture," said Jackson. "We're
pleased that our friends at Chipotle are lending support to this
sustainable vision."

Chipotle's support of The Land Institute is a product of its own
vision for sustainability. Under the banner of "Food with Integrity,"
the central mission that drives the company's push to revolutionize
the way food is grown, gathered and served, Chipotle is working back
along the food chain and paying attention to how vegetables are grown
and how animals are raised, creating a clearer - and often
unsatisfactory - picture of the food we eat and the impacts of
conventional agriculture. Food with Integrity is a constant process of
searching and improving, an incremental revolution to improve how land
is farmed and food is grown. In addition to being the country's
leading restaurant purchaser of naturally raised meats (meats that
come from animals that are raised on a pure vegetarian diet and never
given antibiotics or growth hormones), Chipotle has also begun serving
organically raised beans and is committed to expanding its sourcing of
sustainably grown ingredients.

"These are issues that go far beyond the dinner table," said Steve
Ells, Chipotle's founder, chairman and CEO. "We were so inspired by
the work taking place at The Land Institute when we visited with Wes
in Salina. It's important to us to support the leadership they are
showing all of us on behalf of food and farms in America."

About The Land Institute

The Land Institute, based in Salina, Kan., is a nonprofit research
and education organization dedicated to the development of Natural
Systems Agriculture, an agricultural system with the ecological
stability of the prairie and a grain yield comparable to that from
annual crops. Their mission is to encourage the collaboration of
people, land and community. And by consulting nature as the source and
measure of that partnership, the Institute's goal is to develop an
agriculture that will nurture soil health and biodiversity while
promoting a community life at once prosperous and enduring. To learn
more about The Land Institute, visit www.landinstitute.org.

About Chipotle

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) offers a focused menu of
burritos, tacos, burrito bols (a burrito without the tortilla) and
salads made from fresh, high-quality raw ingredients, prepared using
classic cooking methods and served in a distinctive atmosphere.
Through our vision of Food with Integrity, Chipotle is seeking better
food not only from a variety of fresh ingredients, but ingredients
that are sustainably grown and naturally raised with respect for the
animals, the land, and the farmers who produce the food. Chipotle
opened its first restaurant in 1993 and operates more than 500
restaurants today. To learn more, visit www.chipotle.com.

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