Chipotle to open second Korea location at Shinsegae Gangnam on Wednesday

S&C Restaurant Holdings, the Korean operator of Chipotle, will open the chain's second domestic location — the Gangnam Shinsegae store — at Shinsegae Department Store's Gangnam branch on Wednesday.

The store will occupy the first below-ground floor of the Gangnam branch, inside Sweet Park, the department store's dedicated dessert hall. Through the opening, S&C aims to reach trend-conscious core customers and expand Chipotle's footprint into South Korea's premium department store channel.

The second location seats 98 and retains the brand aesthetic introduced at Chipotle's first Korean store, while incorporating the character of Sweet Park to create a more refined fast-casual dining space.

The menu mirrors that of the first location. Customers can choose from burritos, burrito bowls, tacos, salads and quesadillas, then customize with rice, beans, a main protein, salsas and toppings. Six protein options are available.

The company has also enhanced its app to reduce in-store wait times. Through the Chipotle Korea app, customers can place orders before visiting and pick them up at a designated counter at a set time.

The Gangnam Shinsegae store will also offer a waitlist registration service. Customers who register their information on a tablet installed at the store will receive a notification 10 minutes before they are called, allowing for a more relaxed visit.

To mark the opening, the first 150 customers on Wednesday will receive a Chipotle keyring. All customers who make a purchase through Nov. 3 will receive a sticker featuring the Chipotle logo and its signature menu items.

S&C plans to open a third domestic location before the end of the year and launch its first Singapore store in the first half of next year.

"Buoyed by the strong attention customers have shown our Gangnam-daero location, we are thrilled to introduce our second Korean store at Shinsegae Department Store's Gangnam branch," an S&C official said. "We will continue working to introduce Chipotle to more customers and grow the brand steadily across the Asian market."