2026: Chipotle Must Prove Traffic Weakness Is Cyclical, Not Structural

If there is one leading indicator for Chipotle in 2026, this is it.After a normalization year in 2025, Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG +0.34%) enters 2026 with its long-term investment case largely intact. The brand remains strong, execution has held up, and the unit growth runway remains meaningful.But one question now sits at the center of the stock's outlook: Is recent traffic weakness cyclical or structural?That distinction matters more than margin noise or short-term earnings volatility. What actually drov ...