News that Chipotle is moving from its home near the Rockies to the beaches of Orange County took the fast food world by surprise.

After nearly 25 years in Denver, Chipotle Mexican Grill is saying so long to its hometown, announcing Wednesday that it will move its headquarters to Southern California where its new CEO has lived.

The fast-casual restaurant chain, which has financially had a rough few years, will settle in Newport Beach, near fast-food neighbors Taco Bell, Del Taco and In-N-Out Burger.

In a statement, the company said it will spend the next six months moving corporate staff — from finance, human resources and other corporate functions — to Newport Beach. But not all of its 375 corporate employees in Denver will be offered relocation or retention packages. Restaurant employees and field operations workers are not impacted by the move.

“The consolidation of offices and the move to California will help us drive sustainable growth while continuing to position us well in the competition for top talent,” said Brian Niccol, who became Chipotle’s CEO in February. Niccol previously served as CEO of Taco Bell, based in Irvine.

In the press release, Chipotle said the Denver and New York offices will be consolidated into existing offices in Columbus, Ohio, or Newport Beach. The company declined further comment.

The news surprised both Denver and Newport Beach.

“We didn’t have any notice that this announcement was coming,” said J.J. Ament, chief executive officer of the Metro Denver Economic Development Corp.

Newport Beach’s deputy city manager Tara Finnigan said the city hadn’t heard about the move.

Chipotle spokesman Quinn Kelsey said in an email the company did not have information to to provide about the location of the new offices.

This might be a good time to shop for office space in Orange County. According to real estate firm JLL, availability has increased due to construction and companies using space more efficiently.

But Newport Beach isn’t an easy or cheap place to find office space.

Compared to a countywide vacancy rate of 12.6 percent, Newport Beach offices are 10.7 percent empty and the city’s glitzy Fashion Island office district is only 6 percent vacant, according to a recent JLL report. Newport Beach office landlords are asking for rents 11 percent above what’s available in the county. Fashion Island space goes for 46 percent more than the norm.

Chipotle is moving into a county that is already a quick service hub for the whole world.

Der Wienerschnitzel and Tastee Freez used to have corporate offices in Newport Beach before moving to Irvine.

Other chains in nearby cities include Del Taco in Lake Forest, El Pollo Loco in Costa Mesa, In-N-Out and Wahoo’s Fish Taco in Irvine and Pick Up Stix in Laguna Hills.

Chipotle got its start in Colorado in 1993 when founder Steve Ells opened the first restaurant near the University of Denver. Today, there are more than 2,300 Chipotles around the globe.

Just a few years ago, Chipotle’s growth streak seemed untouchable. Its stock price hit a record of nearly $750 a share in July 2015. But an outbreak of E. coli in late 2015 caused shares to tank, and sales shrank. Ells apologized to customers but the restaurant chain found it difficult to regain its growth trajectory.

The company missed earnings, even after introducing new menu items like queso. Criticism from activist shareholders like Bill Ackman of Pershing Square Holdings culminated in Ells’ decision to step down as CEO to become executive chairman.