- Brandweek Staff

NEW YORK Chipotle Mexican Grill said DeVito/Verdi here has been hired as the restaurant chain's lead agency.

Chipotle, Denver, said it chose DeVito/Verdi because of its "innovative thinking and ability to produce creative that generates results." The previous lead agency was TDA in Boulder, Colo.

DeVito/Verdi's work for Chipotle will include various advertising and creative assignments, including work on outdoor, print, radio, digital and nontraditional executions, as well as national media planning and buying. Terms of the contract were not disclosed.

"Great creative has always been an important part of our advertising," Jim Adams, executive director of marketing at Chipotle, said in a statement. "Sal DeVito possesses one of the great creative minds in advertising, but DeVito/Verdi also knows how to put that creative to work. They understand and share our vision that advertising can inform and entertain, while also driving business."

Chipotle spent $5 million on media in 2006 and almost $6 million in 2007, per Nielsen Monitor-Plus.

Chipotle opened its first restaurant in 1993 and currently operates more than 670 restaurants.