Chipotle Sues Sweetgreen Over Its New Burrito Bowl

Chipotle said it recently sent a letter to Sweetgreen asking it to use lowercase letters in chipotle and to rename the bowl, even offering other possibilities.  

“As one example, Chipotle suggested that ‘chicken bowl with chipotle’ may be a more appropriate name for Sweetgreen’s new menu item,” the complaint said.  

Chipotle said it didn’t hear back from Sweetgreen, according to the lawsuit. 

A spokeswoman for Sweetgreen said Wednesday the chain was aware of the lawsuit and declined to comment further. The company’s stock closed down 6.3% on Wednesday.

A Chipotle spokeswoman said the company takes action when necessary to protect its rights and its brand. 

Sweetgreen launched the bowl last week. It comes with blackened chicken, wild rice, black beans, tomatoes, cabbage and a roasted chipotle salsa. 

Last week, Sweetgreen said it was offering a discount on its burrito bowls on April 6, which has been dubbed National Burrito Day—a day when Chipotle says it also offers deals.

Chipotle’s complaint said the ingredients are similar to burrito bowls it sells, which also have chicken, rice, black beans and salsa. 

“This promotion is clearly intended to copy and trade off of Chipotle’s longstanding ‘National Burrito Day’ promotion,” the complaint said. 

Chipotle is asking the court to stop Sweetgreen from selling the chipotle bowls and order the salad seller to pay it any profit it made from the new item, plus damages and lawyer fees. 

—Stephen Nakrosis contributed to this article.

Write to Joseph Pisani at [email protected]