Chipotle's Summer Of Extras Includes A Free Entree

Does everyone else feel it too? The feeling that restaurants are really, really, reeeeeally trying to figure out ways to keep their customers keen? I can’t be the only one. Deals, discounts, and BOGO offers haven’t gone anywhere for food businesses, but these days, everyone’s trying to do something different. Something left-field. Something fun.

Videos by Sporked

Chipotle is perhaps the biggest example of this. The chain has stared critics of its higher prices in the face over the last few months by running some unexpected offers, designed to catch eyes and business simultaneously – we’re talking BOGO tattoo deals, BOGO hockey jersey deals, and taco happy hours. Now, it’s offering free entrées through the summer if you complete a “challenge.” But what challenge? Let’s break it down.

Buy Stuff, Get Stuff

Chipotle has just announced the return of “Summer of Extras,” a promotion that, according to its press release, will run from June 1 to August 31. The central offer in this promo is that customers can earn free entrées during the period, but in order to get them, you have to complete a streak challenge. Each streak runs for a month, and (you guessed it!) you have to buy meals to build it up. Once you buy the requisite seven meals, which must include an entrée, you can get yourself a free one.

But that’s not all. Chipotle has also decided to launch “gamified loyalty experiences that reward frequency and deepen engagement,” according to the release – and essentially, what this means is that you can get competitive with your purchases, by checking out how other Chipotle fans stack up to you in the area. This all seems to be in pursuit of making Chipotle more embedded in customer lifestyles. “Our fans don’t just eat Chipotle, they build routines around it,” said the brand’s president, chief strategy and technology officer, Curt Garner. “This summer, we’re turning that loyalty into something more rewarding, giving members more ways to earn free food, track their progress, and see how they stack up against other fans in their area.”

But I Have To Pay To Play…

Yeah, participation in this “gamified experience” (which runs through its app) is all dependent on you showing up and purchasing Chipotle. The chain says that last year, Summer of Extras caused a bit of a competitive stir in its community, and it is, in a sense, simply incorporating that into its own offer and making it its own. But there’s no getting around, of course, the fact that, y’know, you have to buy stuff to take part in this, er, game.

That said, if this has piqued your interest and you’re not already signed up to Chipotle Rewards, then you can get free chips and guac for joining. The restaurant’s also running exclusive offers throughout the Summer of Extras period, alongside the free entrée and being-the-top-dog-at-your-local-Chipotle stuff.