1. Description of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc., a Delaware corporation, together with its subsidiaries (collectively the “Company”) develops and operates restaurants that serve a focused menu of burritos, tacos, burrito bowls and salads, made using fresh, high-quality ingredients. As of December 31, 2016, the Company operated 2,198 Chipotle restaurants throughout the United States as well as 29 international Chipotle restaurants and 23 non-Chipotle restaurants. The Company transitioned the management of its operations from nine to eleven regions during 2016 and aggregates its operations to one reportable segment.

Principles of Consolidation and Basis of Presentation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company, including wholly and majority owned subsidiaries. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated.

Management Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities as of the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

Revenue Recognition

The Company recognizes revenue, net of discounts and incentives, when payment is tendered at the point of sale. The Company recognizes a liability for offers of free food by estimating the cost to satisfy the offer based on company–specific historical redemption patterns for similar promotions. These costs are recognized in other operating costs in the consolidated statement of income and comprehensive income and in accrued liabilities in the consolidated balance sheet. The Company reports revenue net of sales-related taxes collected from customers and remitted to governmental taxing authorities.

During the year ended December 31, 2016, the Company introduced a limited-time frequency program that awarded free food or merchandise to customers based on frequency of monthly visits. The Company deferred revenue reflecting the portion of original sales allocated to the rewards that were earned by program participants and not redeemed at the end of the year, and recorded a corresponding liability in accrued liabilities on its consolidated balance sheet. The portion of revenue allocated to the rewards was based on the estimated value of the award earned and takes into consideration company-specific historical redemption patterns for similar promotions. Rewards expire according to the loyalty awards terms and conditions. The Company recognizes revenue when awards are redeemed or expire.

The Company sells gift cards which do not have an expiration date and it does not deduct non-usage fees from outstanding gift card balances. The Company recognizes revenue from gift cards when: (i) the gift card is redeemed by the customer; or (ii) the Company determines the likelihood of the gift card being redeemed by the customer is remote (gift card breakage) and there is not a legal obligation to remit the unredeemed gift cards to the relevant jurisdiction. The determination of the gift card breakage rate is based upon Company-specific historical redemption patterns. Gift card breakage is recognized in revenue as the gift cards are used on a pro rata basis over a six-month period beginning at the date of the gift card sale and is included in revenue in the consolidated statement of income and comprehensive income. The Company has determined that 4% of gift card sales will not be redeemed and will be retained by the Company. Breakage recognized during the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014 was $3,624, $4,226 and $3,146, respectively.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all highly liquid investment instruments purchased with an initial maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents. The Company maintains cash and cash equivalent balances with financial institutions that exceed federally-insured limits. The Company has not experienced any losses related to these balances and believes the risk to be minimal.

Accounts Receivable

Accounts receivable primarily consists of receivables from third party gift card distributors, tenant improvement receivables, vendor rebates, receivables arising from the normal course of business, and payroll-related tax receivables. The allowance for doubtful accounts is the Company’s best estimate of the amount of probable credit losses in the Company’s existing accounts receivable based on a specific review of account balances. Account balances are charged against the allowance after all means of collection have been exhausted and the potential for recoverability is considered remote.

Inventory

Inventory, consisting principally of food, beverages, and supplies, is valued at the lower of first-in, first-out cost or net realizable value. Certain key ingredients (beef, pork, chicken, beans, rice, sour cream, cheese, and tortillas) are purchased from a small number of suppliers.

Investments

Investments classified as “trading” securities are carried at fair value with any unrealized gain or loss being recorded in the consolidated statement of income and comprehensive income. Investments classified as “available-for-sale” are carried at fair market value with unrealized gains and losses, net of tax, included as a component of other comprehensive income (loss). Held-to-maturity securities are carried at amortized cost. The Company recognizes impairment charges on its investments in the consolidated statement of income and comprehensive income when management believes the decline in the fair value of the investment is other-than-temporary.

Leasehold Improvements, Property and Equipment

Leasehold improvements, property and equipment are recorded at cost. Internal costs directly associated with the acquisition, development and construction of a restaurant are capitalized and were $8,076, $9,554 and $7,756 for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively. Expenditures for major renewals and improvements are capitalized while expenditures for minor replacements, maintenance and repairs are expensed as incurred. Depreciation is calculated using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets. Leasehold improvements are amortized over the shorter of the lease term, which generally includes reasonably assured option periods, or the estimated useful lives of the assets. Upon retirement or disposal of assets, the accounts are relieved of cost and accumulated depreciation and any related gain or loss is reflected in loss on disposal and impairment of assets in the consolidated statement of income and comprehensive income.

At least annually, the Company evaluates, and adjusts when necessary, the estimated useful lives of leasehold improvements, property and equipment. The changes in estimated useful lives did not have a material impact on depreciation in any period. The estimated useful lives are:


Leasehold improvements and buildings	3-20 years
Furniture and fixtures	4-7 years
Equipment	3-10 years

Goodwill

Goodwill represents the excess of cost over fair value of net assets of the business acquired. Goodwill is not subject to amortization, but instead is tested for impairment at least annually, and the Company is required to record any necessary impairment adjustments. Impairment is measured as the excess of the carrying value over the fair value of the goodwill. Based on the Company’s analysis, no impairment charges were recognized on goodwill for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014.

Other Assets

Other assets consist primarily of restricted cash assets of $28,490 and $22,572 as of December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively, a rabbi trust as described further in Note 7. “Employee Benefit Plans,” transferable liquor licenses which are carried at the lower of fair value or cost, and rental deposits related to leased properties. Restricted cash assets are primarily insurance-related restricted trust assets.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

Long-lived assets are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. For the purpose of reviewing restaurant assets to be held and used for potential impairment, assets are grouped together at the market level, or in the case of a potential relocation or closure, at the restaurant level. The Company manages its restaurants as a group with significant common costs and promotional activities; as such, an individual restaurant’s cash flows are not generally independent of the cash flows of others in a market. Recoverability of assets to be held and used is measured by a comparison of the carrying amount of an asset to the estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to be generated by the asset. If the carrying amount of an asset exceeds its estimated future cash flows, an impairment charge is recognized as the amount by which the carrying amount of the asset exceeds the fair value of the asset. During the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, an aggregate impairment charge of $17,394, $6,675 and $0, respectively, was recognized in loss on disposal and impairment of assets in the consolidated statement of income and comprehensive income.

Impairment charges recognized during the year ended December 31, 2016 resulted primarily from the Company’s determination that its ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen restaurants were impaired and the recognition of a non-cash impairment charge of $14,505 ($8,014 net of tax), representing substantially all of the value of long-lived assets of ShopHouse. The decision to impair the assets was based on an analysis of each restaurant’s past and present operating performance, including a significant change from comparable restaurant sales increases to decreases, and projected future cash flows expected to be generated by the restaurant assets. The Company has decided not to invest further in developing and growing the ShopHouse brand and is pursuing strategic alternatives. During the year ended December 31, 2015, the impairment charges resulted from an internally developed software program that the Company chose not to implement and the related hardware, the discontinued use of certain kitchen equipment from the Company’s restaurants, as well as restaurant relocations. The fair value of restaurants, including ShopHouse, was determined using level 3 inputs (unobservable inputs) based on a discounted cash flows method.

Income Taxes

The Company recognizes deferred tax assets and liabilities at enacted income tax rates for the temporary differences between the financial reporting bases and the tax bases of its assets and liabilities. Any effects of changes in income tax rates or tax laws are included in the provision for income taxes in the period of enactment. The deferred income tax impacts of investment tax credits are recognized as an immediate adjustment to income tax expense. When it is more likely than not that a portion or all of a deferred tax asset will not be realized in the future, the Company provides a corresponding valuation allowance against the deferred tax asset. When it is more likely than not that a position will be sustained upon examination by a tax authority that has full knowledge of all relevant information, the Company measures the amount of tax benefit from the position and records the largest amount of tax benefit that is greater than 50% likely of being realized after settlement with a tax authority. The Company’s policy is to recognize interest to be paid on an underpayment of income taxes in interest expense and any related statutory penalties in the provision for income taxes in the consolidated statement of income and comprehensive income.

Restaurant Pre-Opening Costs

Pre-opening costs, including rent, wages, benefits and travel for training and opening teams, food and other restaurant operating costs, are expensed as incurred prior to a restaurant opening for business.

Insurance Liability

The Company maintains various insurance policies including workers’ compensation, employee health, general liability, automobile, and property damage. Pursuant to these policies, the Company is responsible for losses up to certain limits and is required to estimate a liability that represents the ultimate exposure for aggregate losses below those limits. This liability is based on management’s estimates of the ultimate costs to be incurred to settle known claims and, where applicable, claims not reported as of the balance sheet date. The estimated liability is not discounted and is based on a number of assumptions and factors, including historical trends, actuarial assumptions, and economic conditions. If actual trends differ from the estimates, the financial results could be impacted. As of December 31, 2016 and 2015, $35,550 and $28,391, respectively, of the estimated liability was included in accrued payroll and benefits and $13,881 and $11,898, respectively, was included in accrued liabilities in the consolidated balance sheet.

Advertising and Marketing Costs

Advertising and marketing costs are expensed as incurred and totaled $102,969, $69,257 and $57,290 for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively. Advertising and marketing costs are included in other operating costs in the consolidated statement of income and comprehensive income.

Rent

Rent expense for the Company’s leases, which generally have escalating rentals over the term of the lease, is recorded on a straight-line basis over the lease term. The lease term is the lesser of 20 years inclusive of reasonably assured renewal periods, or the lease term. The lease term begins when the Company has the right to control the use of the property, which is typically before rent payments are due under the lease. The difference between the rent expense and rent paid is recorded as deferred rent in the consolidated balance sheet. Pre-opening rent is included in pre-opening costs in the consolidated statement of income and comprehensive income. Tenant incentives used to fund leasehold improvements are recorded in deferred rent and amortized as reductions of rent expense over the term of the lease.

Additionally, certain of the Company’s operating leases contain clauses that provide additional contingent rent based on a percentage of sales greater than certain specified target amounts. The Company recognizes contingent rent expense provided the achievement of that target is considered probable.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The carrying value of the Company’s cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable and accounts payable approximate fair value because of their short-term nature.

Fair Value Measurements

Fair value is the price the Company would receive to sell an asset or pay to transfer a liability (exit price) in an orderly transaction between market participants. For assets and liabilities recorded or disclosed at fair value on a recurring basis, the Company determines fair value based on the following:

Level 1: Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the entity has the ability to access.

Level 2: Observable inputs other than prices included in Level 1, such as quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets; quoted prices for identical or similar assets and liabilities in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated with observable market data.

Level 3: Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of the assets and liabilities. This includes certain pricing models, discounted cash flow methodologies and similar techniques that use significant unobservable inputs.

Foreign Currency Translation

The Company’s international operations generally use the local currency as the functional currency. Assets and liabilities are translated at exchange rates in effect as of the balance sheet date. Income and expense accounts are translated at the average monthly exchange rates during the year. Resulting translation adjustments are recorded as a separate component of other comprehensive income (loss) in the consolidated statement of income and comprehensive income.

Recently Issued Accounting Standards and Adoption of Accounting Pronouncements

In November 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2016-18, “Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230)”, which provides guidance on the classification of restricted cash to be included with cash and cash equivalents when reconciling the beginning of period and end of period total amounts on the statement of cash flows. This pronouncement is effective for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017 using a retrospective adoption method and early adoption is permitted. For the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, $28,490, $22,572 and $19,889, respectively, of restricted cash would have been included in cash and cash equivalents and changes in the balance excluded from net cash provided by operating activities in the consolidated statement of cash flows if this new guidance had been adopted as of the respective dates.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-09, “Compensation – Stock Compensation (Topic 718).” The pronouncement was issued to simplify the accounting for share-based payment transactions, including income tax consequences, the classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, and the classification on the statement of cash flows. This pronouncement is effective for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016. The guidance will be applied either prospectively, retrospectively or using a modified retrospective transition method, depending on the area covered in this update. Upon adoption, any future excess tax benefits or deficiencies will be recorded to the provision for income taxes in the consolidated statement of income, instead of additional paid-in capital in the consolidated balance sheet. For the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, $1,320, $74,442 and $21,667, respectively, of excess tax benefits were recorded to additional paid-in capital that would have been recorded as a reduction to the provision for income taxes if this new guidance had been adopted as of the respective dates. Additionally, excess tax benefits will be classified as operating activities in the consolidated statement of cash flow instead of in financing activities as required under the current guidance. The Company has not selected a transition method, and except as described above, does not expect the provisions of ASU 2016-09 to have an impact on the Company’s consolidated financial position or results of operations.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, “Leases (Topic 842).” The pronouncement requires the recognition of a liability for lease obligations and a corresponding right-of-use asset on the balance sheet and disclosure of key information about leasing arrangements. This pronouncement is effective for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018 using a modified retrospective adoption method. The Company’s adoption of ASU No. 2016-02 will have a significant impact on its consolidated balance sheet as it will record material assets and obligations for current operating leases. The Company is evaluating the impact that adoption will have on its consolidated statement of income.

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606),” as amended by multiple standards updates. The pronouncement was issued to clarify the principles for recognizing revenue and to develop a common revenue standard and disclosure requirements for U.S. GAAP and IFRS. The pronouncement is effective for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017. The expected adoption method of ASU 2014-09 is being evaluated by the Company, and the adoption is not expected to have a significant impact on the Company’s consolidated financial position or results of operations.

The Company reviewed all other recently issued accounting pronouncements and concluded that they were either not applicable or not expected to have a significant impact to the consolidated financial statements. Additionally, the adoption of accounting pronouncements during 2016 did not have an impact on the Company’s consolidated financial position or results of operations.