Jack Hartung

Jack Hartung
Born	John R. Hartung
Nationality	American
Occupation	Business executive
Title	Former President and Chief Strategy Officer
Employer	Chipotle Mexican Grill (retired 2025)
Known for	Former CFO and President of Chipotle Mexican Grill

John R. "Jack" Hartung is an American business executive who served in senior leadership roles at Chipotle Mexican Grill for more than two decades. He is best known for his tenure as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the fast casual restaurant chain, a position he held for approximately twenty years during a period of substantial growth that saw the company expand from a regional operation into a publicly traded national chain with thousands of locations. Hartung later transitioned into the role of President and Chief Strategy Officer at Chipotle. In May 2025, he announced a retirement date from the company and was simultaneously appointed to the board of directors of Tesla, Inc., where he also joined the audit committee. His career at Chipotle spanned a transformative era for the company, encompassing its separation from McDonald's Corporation, its initial public offering, and its expansion to more than 4,000 restaurants across the United States and internationally. Hartung's financial stewardship helped guide Chipotle through periods of rapid revenue growth as well as operational challenges, establishing him as one of the most prominent finance executives in the American restaurant industry.

Career

Chipotle Mexican Grill

Early Tenure and Growth as CFO

Jack Hartung served as the Chief Financial Officer of Chipotle Mexican Grill during a formative period in the company's history. Chipotle was founded by Steve Ells on July 13, 1993, as a single restaurant concept inspired by the taquerias and burrito shops of San Francisco's Mission District. The chain grew steadily in its early years, and by 1998, when McDonald's Corporation became a major investor, Chipotle operated 16 restaurants, all located in Colorado.

As CFO, Hartung played a central role in managing the financial dimensions of Chipotle's expansion during and after the McDonald's investment era. McDonald's fully divested itself from Chipotle in 2006, by which time the chain had grown to over 500 locations. The separation from McDonald's marked a significant transition for Chipotle as an independent publicly traded company, and Hartung's role as CFO was instrumental in navigating the financial complexities of this period, including managing investor relations and establishing Chipotle's independent financial reporting and governance structures.

Throughout the late 2000s and 2010s, Chipotle experienced a period of significant expansion and revenue growth. By 2015, the company operated more than 2,000 locations, had achieved a net income of US$475.6 million, and employed more than 45,000 people. Hartung oversaw the financial reporting and capital allocation strategies that supported this expansion, including the opening of new restaurants across the United States and the management of the company's supply chain economics.

During Hartung's tenure as CFO, Chipotle distinguished itself in the fast casual restaurant category through its emphasis on fresh ingredients and its "Food with Integrity" sourcing philosophy. The company's financial performance during this period reflected consumer demand for higher-quality fast casual dining options. Ells, the company's founder, had sought to demonstrate that fresh ingredients could be used to quickly serve food, and the financial results under Hartung's stewardship supported the viability of this business model.

Marketing and Brand Development Era

Chipotle's growth during Hartung's years as CFO was accompanied by distinctive marketing and brand-building initiatives that required careful financial planning and investment. The company pursued unconventional advertising strategies that set it apart from traditional fast food marketing approaches.

In 2010, Chipotle ended its relationship with the advertising agency that had previously handled McDonald's account and embarked on a new marketing direction. The company invested in content-driven marketing campaigns, including partnerships with musicians such as Karen O and Fiona Apple. Karen O collaborated with Chipotle on a campaign to support American farmers, while Fiona Apple contributed a cover of a song from Willy Wonka for a Chipotle promotional clip that attracted significant media attention.

Chipotle also invested in cause-related marketing, including a Halloween-themed partnership with Jamie Oliver to highlight issues related to processed food. The company served free food at screenings of the documentary Food, Inc., further reinforcing its brand identity around food sourcing and quality.

Additionally, the company developed its "Farm Team" program, which was designed to grow customer engagement and brand loyalty. Chipotle also engaged in sports sponsorships, including partnerships with the Garmin cycling team, the Boston Celtics, and the Boston Bruins. These marketing expenditures and brand investments occurred under the financial oversight of Hartung's CFO office, reflecting a strategic approach to using marketing spend as a growth driver.

The company also explored creative approaches to direct mail and packaging, turning what might otherwise be considered junk mail into distinctive branded materials, and at one point wrapped burritos in gold foil as part of a promotional campaign.

Transition to President and Chief Strategy Officer

After approximately two decades as CFO, Hartung transitioned to the role of President and Chief Strategy Officer at Chipotle Mexican Grill. In this capacity, he continued to shape the company's strategic direction while stepping back from day-to-day financial management responsibilities. The transition reflected both his deep institutional knowledge of the company and the breadth of his contributions beyond traditional financial oversight.

By the time of Hartung's announced retirement, Chipotle had grown to operate more than 4,000 restaurant locations and employed over 130,000 people. The company had expanded to 48 states and the District of Columbia, with restaurants across the continental United States.

Retirement from Chipotle

On May 6, 2025, Chipotle announced that Hartung had set a retirement date from the company. The announcement coincided with the hiring of Jason Kidd as Chipotle's new Chief Operating Officer. Hartung's retirement marked the end of one of the longest executive tenures in the company's history, spanning from its pre-IPO days through its growth into one of the largest fast casual restaurant chains in the United States.

Business Insider noted that Hartung had served as CFO of the Mexican fast-food chain for two decades before transitioning to his subsequent roles.

Tesla Board Appointment

On May 16, 2025, Tesla, Inc. disclosed in a regulatory filing that it had elected John R. "Jack" Hartung to its board of directors and audit committee, with an effective date of June 1, 2025. The appointment was reported by multiple major news outlets, including CNBC, Reuters, TechCrunch, and Business Insider.

CNBC described Hartung as a "longtime Chipotle executive" in its reporting on the board appointment. Reuters reported that Tesla would add the Chipotle executive to its board and audit committee in June.

TechCrunch noted that Hartung's appointment to the Tesla board came ahead of the planned launch of the Tesla Diner concept, suggesting a potential strategic connection between Hartung's restaurant industry experience and Tesla's expansion into food service.

Teslarati reported that Tesla "welcomed" Hartung to its board and that he would officially begin his tenure at the electric vehicle maker on June 1, 2025.

Hartung's addition to the Tesla board brought significant financial management experience from the restaurant industry. His two decades of experience as CFO of a major publicly traded company, combined with his more recent strategic leadership role, positioned him as a board member with expertise in financial oversight, corporate governance, and operational scaling — areas relevant to Tesla's own growth trajectory and diversification efforts.

Recognition

Hartung's career at Chipotle Mexican Grill brought him recognition as one of the most prominent financial executives in the American restaurant industry. His approximately twenty-year tenure as CFO of a single major public company was notable for its duration and for the scale of growth that occurred during his leadership of the finance function. Under his financial stewardship, Chipotle grew from a regional chain with several hundred locations to a national enterprise with thousands of restaurants and billions of dollars in annual revenue.

His appointment to the Tesla board of directors in 2025 reflected the regard in which his financial and strategic expertise was held beyond the restaurant industry. The appointment to both the board and the audit committee indicated recognition of his financial acumen and corporate governance experience.

Multiple major business publications covered his Tesla board appointment, with reporting from CNBC, Reuters, TechCrunch, Yahoo Finance, Business Insider, and Teslarati, indicating the level of industry attention his career moves commanded.

Legacy

Jack Hartung's career is closely intertwined with the growth and development of Chipotle Mexican Grill as a defining company in the fast casual restaurant segment. As CFO during the company's most significant period of expansion — from a regional chain of several hundred restaurants to a publicly traded national brand with more than 4,000 locations — Hartung's financial leadership was a component of Chipotle's transformation of the American restaurant landscape.

Chipotle, under the collective leadership of executives including founder Steve Ells and financial leaders like Hartung, was one of the first chains of fast casual restaurants, a category that has since grown to represent a significant segment of the American dining industry. The company's model of serving food made with fresh ingredients in a quick-service format, supported by the financial infrastructure and discipline that Hartung's office maintained, influenced numerous subsequent restaurant concepts.

Hartung's transition from a long CFO tenure to a president and chief strategy officer role, and subsequently to board-level positions at companies such as Tesla, illustrated a career trajectory from operational financial management to broader strategic and governance responsibilities. His appointment to Tesla's board, particularly in connection with the audit committee and ahead of Tesla's exploration of the food service space through its Tesla Diner concept, suggested that his restaurant industry expertise was viewed as transferable to other industries undergoing expansion and diversification.

His career at Chipotle also encompassed the financial oversight of the company's distinctive approach to marketing and brand-building, which included content-driven campaigns, cause-related partnerships, and sports sponsorships that differentiated Chipotle from traditional fast food marketing approaches. The financial commitment to these initiatives, which Hartung's office managed, contributed to the development of Chipotle's brand identity as a company focused on food quality and integrity.