About Farmesa

By Eric Nomis

Chipotle will open a new venture, known as Farmesa, in Santa Monica. The upcoming concept restaurant offers a variety of proteins, green grains and vegetables. Chipotle said that initially, the Third Street Promenade store will soft open, presenting a limited menu and hours.

Farmesa will have its grand opening in March. James Beard Award-winning Chef Nate Appleman has curated a menu that puts the spotlight on fresh fare with real, fresh ingredients. A few decades ago, he led menu innovation for Chipotle. Now, Appleman also serves as director of culinary innovation for the new Farmesa concept.

Bowl pricing runs from $11.95 to $16.95. According to Chipotle’s announcement, each bowl will feature a protein, accompanying greens or grain, two sides, a choice of five sauces, and a topping.

“One of our strategic objectives is to create or invest in emerging culinary spaces and restaurant concepts that fit within Chipotle’s food with integrity mission and make fresh food daily,” said Brian Niccol, chairman and chief executive. “Our New Ventures team, which was created in 2022, developed a unique restaurant concept that uses classic culinary techniques with flavorful ingredients in a fast casual setting that we’re excited to test and learn on before we determine a broader rollout strategy.”

Prior to the grand opening, the Farmesa restaurant team will cement their learning of various cooking techniques. In addition they will learn to maximize throughput, said a statement.

The Kitchen United Mix food hall at 1315 3rd Street in Santa Monica will host the new concept. Customers can order on kiosks there or at kitchenunited.com/santamonica, Chipotle said. Third-party delivery providers will also fulfill orders.

Dishes on the menu will include Classic Santa MariaStyle Grilled Tri-Tip Steak, Everything Spice-Crusted Ora King Salmon, Whipped Potatoes, Golden Beets, Sprouted Cauliflower, and Sweet Potato Chips.

On the beverage menu, Farmesa will offer 100% Certified Organic, Non-GMO and All-Natural drinks from Tractor Beverage Co. The restaurant will also serve still and sparkling water.

With regard to the last point, “If there is not enough or no market demand, give it up,” says Gordon. “There is no shame in testing and moving on. Right at this point, we have no clue if there is market potential for Farmesa. It has to be proven.”

“Launching Farmesa in the Kitchen United Mix food hall in Santa Monica and partnering with third-party partners for pickup or delivery will allow us to reach a large number of consumers, learn quickly, and evolve our concept and menu so that we can deliver on our goals before expanding,” said Nate Lawton, VP of New Ventures at Chipotle. “We believe there’s an opportunity to serve premium, craveable food every day and we’re eager to bring this new concept to life.”