DeiAbstract DEI [Abstract] Statement [Table] Statement [Line Items] Document And Entity Information Abstract Document and Entity Information [Abstract] Document and Entity Information Document Type Amendment Flag Document Period End Date Document Fiscal Year Focus Document Fiscal Period Focus Entity Registrant Name Entity Central Index Key Current Fiscal Year End Date Entity Filer Category Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet [Abstract] Assets [Abstract] Assets Assets Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents at end of period Cash and cash equivalents at end of period Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period Cash and cash equivalents Accounts Receivable Net Current Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $40 and $259 as of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively Inventory Net Inventory Prepaid Expense and Other Assets, Current Prepaid expenses and other current assets Income Taxed Receivable Income tax receivable Marketable Securities, Current Investments Total current assets Total current assets Leasehold improvements, property and equipment, net Marketable Securities, Noncurrent Long term investments Other assets noncurrent Other assets Goodwill Total assets Total assets Liabilities and shareholders' equity Liabilities Current Current liabilities: Accounts payable current Accounts payable Accrued payroll and benefits Accrued liabilities Income tax payable Total current liabilities Total current liabilities Deferred rent credit noncurrent Deferred rent Total Long Term Deferred income tax liability Deferred income tax liability Other liabilities Total liabilities Total liabilities Shareholders' equity: Preferred stock, $0.01 par value, 600,000 shares authorized, no shares issued as of March 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively Preferred stock, $0.01 par value, 600,000 shares authorized, no shares issued as of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively Common stock $0.01 par value, 230,000 shares authorized, and 35,797 and 35,790 shares issued as of March 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively Common stock $0.01 par value, 230,000 shares authorized, and 35,838 and 35,833 shares issued as of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively Additional Paid In Capital Common Stock Additional paid-in capital Treasury stock value Treasury stock, at cost, 7,160 and 7,019 common shares at March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively Accumulated other comprehensive loss Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) Retained Earnings Accumulated Deficit Retained earnings Total shareholders equity Total shareholders' equity Total liabilities and shareholders equity Total liabilities and shareholders' equity Allowance for doubtful accounts, Accounts receivable Preferred stock, par value Preferred stock, shares authorized Preferred stock, shares issued Common stock, par value Common stock, shares authorized Common stock, shares issued Treasury stock, shares at cost Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Abstract] Revenue Restaurant operating costs (exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below): Food, beverage and packaging Labor Occupancy Other operating costs General and administrative expenses Depreciation Depletion And Amortization Depreciation and amortization Pre-opening costs Losses (Gains) on Sales of Assets and Asset Impairment Charges Loss on disposal and impairment of assets Total operating expenses Total operating expenses Income (loss) from operations Income (loss) from operations Interest and other income (expense) Interest and other income, net Income before income taxes Income (loss) before income taxes Benefit (provision) for income taxes Benefit (provision) for income taxes Net income (loss) Net income (loss) Net income (loss) Other comprehensive income (loss), net of income taxes: Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Foreign Currency Transaction and Translation Adjustment, Net of Tax, Portion Attributable to Parent Foreign currency translation adjustments Unrealized gain/(loss) on investments Unrealized gain (loss) on investments, net of tax benefit (expense) of $94 and ($1,182) Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Income Tax Other comprehensive income (loss), net of income taxes Comprehensive income Comprehensive income (loss) Earnings Per Shares [Abstract] Earnings (loss) per share: Earnings Per Share Basic Basic Basic earnings (loss) per share Earnings Per Share Diluted Diluted Diluted earnings (loss) per share Weighted average common shares outstanding: Basic Weighted average number of common shares outstanding Diluted Diluted weighted average number of common shares outstanding Unrealized gain (loss) on investments, tax Unrealized gain (loss) on investments, net of tax benefit (expense) of Condensed Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows Operating activities Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities: Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by operating activities: Deferred income tax provision Deferred income tax (benefit) provision Bad debt allowance Share Based Compensation Stock-based compensation expense Excess Tax Benefit From Share Based Compensation Operating Activities Excess tax benefit on stock-based compensation Other Noncash Income (Expense) Other Changes in operating assets and liabilities: Accounts receivable Accounts receivable Inventory Inventory Increase Decrease In Prepaid Deferred Expense And Other Assets Prepaid expenses and other current assets Other assets Other assets Accounts payable Accounts payable Increase Decrease In Accrued Liabilities Accrued liabilities Income tax payable/receivable Income tax payable/receivable Deferred Rent Deferred rent Other long-term liabilities Net cash provided by operating activities Net cash provided by operating activities Investing activities Purchases of leasehold improvements, property and equipment Purchases of leasehold improvements, property and equipment Maturities of investments Maturities of investments Proceeds from sale of investments Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities Financing activities Acquisition of treasury stock Acquisition of treasury stock Excess tax benefit on stock-based compensation Excess tax benefit on stock-based compensation Proceeds from (Payments for) Other Financing Activities Stock plan transactions and other financing activities Net cash used in financing activities Net cash used in financing activities Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents Net change in cash and cash equivalents Net change in cash and cash equivalents Basis of presentation Basis of Presentation [Abstract] Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements Disclosure TextBlock Basis of Presentation Recent Account Standards [Abstract] New Accounting Pronouncements and Changes in Accounting Principles [Text Block] Recent Accounting Standards Fair Value of Financial Instruments [Abstract] Fair Value of Financial Instruments Shareholders’ Equity [Abstract] Stockholders Equity Note Disclosure Shareholders' Equity Stock-Based Compensation [Abstract] Disclosure Of Compensation Related Costs Share Based Payments Text Block Stock-Based Compensation Earnings (Loss) Per Share [Abstract] Earnings Per Share Text Block Earnings (Loss) Per Share Commitments and Contingencies [Abstract] Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure Text Block Commitments and Contingencies Available-for-sale Securities Gain (Loss) on Investments [Table Text Block] Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Available-for-sale Securities Schedule of Realized Gain (Loss) [Table Text Block] Schedule of Realized Gain (Loss) on Available-for-sale Securities Unrealized Gains (Losses) on Investments held in Rabbi Trust Unrealized Gains (Losses) on Trading Securities held in Rabbi Trust Stock Based Compensation Expense Stock awards excluded from the calculation of diluted EPS - consisting of awards subject to performance conditions and awards that were antidilutive. Stock awards excluded from the calculation of diluted EPS [Table Text Block] Stock Awards Excluded from the Calculation of Diluted EPS Schedule of Calculation of Numerator and Denominator in Earnings Per Share [Table Text Block] Earnings (Loss) Per Share Schedule of Product Information [Table] Products and Services [Axis] Products And Services [Domain] Products and Services [Domain] ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen [Member] Shophouse Southeast Asian Kitchen [Member] ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen [Member] Product Information [Line Items] Number of Restaurants Number of restaurants The number of regions by which the Company manages its operations. Number of regions in which entity operates Number of regions Number of Reportable Segments Number of reportable segments Adjustment to Additional Paid in Capital, Income Tax Effect from Share-based Compensation, Net Excess tax benefit on stock-based compensation Investment maturity term Investment Maturity Investment maturity term Trading Securities, Fair Value Disclosure Fair value of investments in rabbi trust Amortized cost Amortized cost Unrealized gains (losses) Unrealized gains (losses) on available-for-sale securities Fair market value Fair market value Gross unrealized gains (losses) Unrealized gains (losses) on available-for-sale securities Unrealized gain (loss) on investments, net of income taxes Unrealized gains (losses) on available-for-sale securities, net of tax Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Realized Gain (Loss), Excluding Other than Temporary Impairments Realized gains (losses) on available-for-sale securities Unrealized Gain (Loss) on investments held in rabbit trust Unrealized gain (loss) on trading securities held in rabbi trust Class of Treasury Stock [Table] Equity, Class of Treasury Stock [Line Items] Stock repurchase program, additional authorized amount Stock repurchase program, additional authorized amount Stock Repurchase Program, Authorized Amount Stock repurchase program, authorized amount Acquisition of treasury stock (shares) Acquisition of treasury stock (value) Acquisition of treasury stock (value), total Stock Repurchase Program, Remaining Authorized Repurchase Amount Value of common shares remaining to be repurchased Schedule of Share-based Compensation Arrangements by Share-based Payment Award [Table] Range [Axis] Range [Member] Range [Domain] Maximum [Member] Maximum [Member] Minimum [Member] Minimum [Member] Award Type [Axis] Share Based Compensation Arrangements By Share Based Payment Award Award Type And Plan Name [Domain] Share-based Compensation Arrangements by Share-based Payment Award, Award Type and Plan Name [Domain] Restricted Stock Units [Member] Restricted Stock Units [Member] Restricted Stock Units [Member] Stock Options And Stock Appreciation Rights SARS [Member] Stock Options And Stock Appreciation Rights S R S [Member] Stock Options And SOSARs [Member] Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items] Percentage of Shares Vested after Meeting Certain Conditions Percentage of Shares Vested after Meeting Certain Conditions Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Grants in Period, Gross Shares granted Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Grants in Period Shares granted Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Grants in Period, Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value Weighted-average grant date fair value Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Award Vesting Period Vesting period Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Award Vesting Rights, Percentage Stock option exercises (shares) Stock option and SOSAR exercises (shares) Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Forfeitures in Period SOSARs forfeited Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Grants in Period, Weighted Average Exercise Price Granted, Weighted-Average Exercise Price Share-based Compensation Arrangement By Share-based Payment Award Compensation Cost Stock-based compensation expense Stock-based compensation expense, net of tax Stock-based compensation expense, net of tax Stock-based compensation recognized as capitalized development Stock-based compensation recognized as capitalized development Securities Excluded From Computation of Earnings Per Share Amount, Due to Performance Conditions Securities Excluded From Computation of Earnings Per Share Amount, Due to Performance Conditions Stock awards excluded, performance conditions Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share, Amount Stock awards excluded, anti-dilutive Stock awards that were excluded from diluted earnings per share. For example, stock awards subject to performance conditions and stock awards that were antidilutive. Shares excluded from diluted earnings per share Total stock awards excluded from diluted earnings (loss) per share Incremental Common Shares Attributable to Share-based Payment Arrangements Dilutive stock awards Geographical [Axis] Segment Geographical [Domain] Segment, Geographical [Domain] U [S] United States [Member] Geographic Distribution Foreign [Member] International [Member] Non-Chipotle concepts Non Chipotle Restaurants [Member] Non Chipotle Restaurants [Member] Vesting [Axis] Vesting [Domain] Vesting [Domain] Vesting Period 1 [Member] Vesting Period1 [Member] Vesting Period 1 [Member]