Chipotle recently started giving away free burritos to convince folks the food is safe and we, the hungry global populous, will be the eager beneficiaries!
Recall back on February 8th where they gave away 5.3 million burritos during their nationwide closure? Well, the stores are still relatively empty, enough for the chain's chief financial officer to acknowledge the issue:
‘‘It was kind of eerie — and we’d hear this from customers. They would walk by a restaurant and see, god that was always busy, and now there’s no line whatsoever,’’ said Jack Hartung, Chipotle’s chief financial officer.
Alright, so things are still pretty bad at Chipotle...what about our free burritos?!
At a recent retail tech conference, Mark Crumpacker, the chain's chief creative and development officer outlined a few key giveaways that will be happening over the coming months. Between now and May 15, roughly 6 - 10 million offers for a free entree are already in circulation.
The chain has general plans to give away 21 million free entrees, a massive cost and undertaking, but one that seems relatively important to jumpstart lagging sales and convince squeamish guests that they won't be getting sick from Chipotle.
The CFO Jack Hartung noted that it was important to get Chipotle restaurants to "look like Chipotle again." You know the visual: long lines, healthy people and folks stealing Tabasco bottles. Come summer time, Chipotle might toy with a "Buy One, Get One" free offer as well as target people locally with free meals in areas where sales might be sluggish.
TL;DR: Be on the lookout for more free burritos!
