Chipotle and Sweetgreen may seem unlikely to compete. Chipotle sells burritos and burrito bowls, while Sweetgreen is recognized for its salads.
Yet, Chipotle filed a high-profile lawsuit against Sweetgreen this week over a new menu item.
The lawsuit claimed Sweetgreen's Chipotle-Chicken Burrito Bowl copied Chipotle's name and branding.
Blackened chicken, lime-cilantro black beans, tomatoes, red onions, shredded cabbage, cilantro, heated wild rice, and roasted chipotle salsa are included.
Chipotle sued Sweetgreen for "selling a product that is strikingly similar and directly competitive to Chipotle's chicken burrito bowl" using its trademark.
Chipotle objected to Sweetgreen's promotion of the new chicken burrito bowl, which capitalized the first letter of "Chipotle" and sometimes used all capital letters.
"On finding Sweetgreen's infringing conduct, Chipotle sent a written demand that Sweetgreen cease using the CHIPOTLE® brand and re-name its new product," the lawsuit said.
To top it off, Sweetgreen is offering a 50% discount on the new chicken burrito bowls on National Burrito Day, April 6, according to an email to customers.
Chipotle sued Sweetgreen for copying their National Burrito Day marketing, which it had run for years.
Customers and media noted Sweetgreen's chicken burrito bowl's resemblance to Chipotle's.
The lawsuit notes that one Sweetgreen fan wrote "Chipotle who?" under the March 30 Instagram post announcing the bowl."You said it," Sweetgreen replied.
Chipotle has made headlines recently. The chain introduced the fajita quesadilla in March after it went viral on TikTok as a hidden menu hack that workers hated creating.
In February, Chipotle launched Farmesa, a restaurant that serves steaming bowls with protein, vegetables or grains, sauces, and toppings.