As a fast food restaurant, economic changes have a large effect on the profitability of Chipotle. To this extent, being in the volatile food industry has its pros and cons. In case beef or natural prices of ingredients increase due to inflation, scarcity or a number of factors, the price of the food products will have to increase as well which might cause customers to purchase elsewhere. At the same time, if the opposite holds true, profits and sales could increase drastically as well. Other factors include interest rates, levels of employment and price stability.