Chipotle Opens First Saudi Arabia Restaurant, Partners With Alshaya Group

Chipotle Mexican Grill has opened its first restaurant in Saudi Arabia, located at Sidra, a dining destination in Riyadh next to Granada Mall, marking the brand’s entry into the Kingdom through a partnership with Alshaya Group.

The Riyadh restaurant serves Chipotle’s standard menu of burritos, bowls, tacos, quesadillas and salads, prepared in an open kitchen with the brand’s usual customisable format. Nate Lawton, Chipotle’s chief business development officer, said the Kingdom represents a compelling opportunity within one of the Middle East’s most dynamic consumer markets.

The opening builds on Chipotle’s broader regional rollout with Alshaya Group, which has already brought the brand to 16 locations across the UAE, Kuwait and Qatar since 2024. Alshaya, one of the region’s largest multi-brand franchise operators, runs more than 3,500 stores and restaurants across the Middle East, North Africa, Turkey and Europe.

Chipotle’s Saudi debut adds to a wave of US fast-casual brands entering the Kingdom over the past year, part of a broader pattern of international dining concepts using Riyadh’s high-footfall lifestyle destinations as their market entry point.