Seoul: U.S. restaurant chain Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. opened its first outlet in Asia in Seoul as it seeks to expand into Asian markets. Chipotle has set up a joint venture, SandC Restaurants Holdings Pte., with an affiliate of South Korean food and beverage company Sangmidang Holdings (SMDH) to operate its outlets in South Korea.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Chipotle chose South Korea as its first Asian market, citing the country's growing interest in global food trends and well-established culture of personalized consumption. The fast casual restaurant chain plans to open two more outlets in South Korea within this year before expanding into Singapore in the first half of next year.