Chipotle faces traffic test April 29

Chipotle Mexican Grill reports first-quarter 2026 results on Wednesday, April 29, and the central question is whether customer traffic stabilized after late-2025 weakness. (chipotle.com 1) (chipotle.com 2) The company said it will release results at about 4:10 p.m. Eastern time and hold a conference call at 4:30 p.m. Eastern time. Analysts tracked by MarketBeat expect about $3.06 billion in revenue and earnings per share of $0.24. (chipotle.com) (marketbeat.com) Chipotle enters the report after fourth-quarter 2025 comparable restaurant sales fell 2.5% from a year earlier, while revenue rose 4.9% to $3.0 billion. The company said full-year 2025 comparable sales declined 1.7% and total revenue increased 5.4% to $11.9 billion. (chipotle.com) On that February 3 earnings release, Chipotle said it was launching a “Recipe for Growth” strategy aimed at raising transactions and improving speed, accuracy and efficiency. That framing put guest counts, not just menu pricing, at the center of the 2026 story. (chipotle.com) One traffic lever arrives a day before earnings. Chipotle said Chipotle Honey Chicken returns on April 28 across North America and Europe after becoming the chain’s best-performing limited-time offering in 2025. (chipotle.com) Chipotle also said the returning protein will appear in its High Protein Cup for the first time. The company described the 2025 launch as a fan favorite that drove record demand. (chipotle.com) Wall Street commentary heading into the report has focused on transactions growth. AlphaStreet said the April 29 print is a test of whether traffic is recovering, while Seeking Alpha said the setup is “all about transactions growth.” (alphastreet.com) (seekingalpha.com) Chipotle shares were quoted at $34.05 in afternoon trading Monday, down from a 52-week high of $58.42, according to Yahoo Finance data. The earnings report will show whether menu promotions and operating changes are enough to bring customers back. (finance.yahoo.com)