Is the Chipotle Boorito and Roblox collaboration a taste of the future?

For the past 21 years, the Chipotle Boorito promotion has become a Halloween tradition. While the free food promotion has changed over the years, the new collaboration with Roblox brings that burrito to the metaverse. Could this idea be a taste of the future?

The line between the real world and the virtual connection has become more blurred. Many people form relationships with others yet they can be thousands of miles apart. Just because the connection is via a screen, doesn’t make the bond any less strong.

While the digital world offers connections, it is more than just a space to play games. In the past year, restaurants have used the virtual space to ensure that customers can get a taste of the food they crave. Even though the table sits vacant, food comes out of the kitchen and arrives in people’s home.

How is the Chipotle Boorito and Roblox collaboration changing the conversation?

According to Chris Brandt, Chief Marketing Officer at Chipotle, “As a digital innovator, we are always experimenting on new platforms to meet our guests where they are. Roblox’s popularity has boomed over the past year, and we know our fans will be excited to celebrate the next evolution of Boorito in the metaverse.”

Although people have varying opinions of the metaverse, the reality is that this iconic Halloween event has found a way to evolve and remain relevant. Instead of guests parading into restaurants in costumes, the digital space offers that experience. For some people, this idea might be the concept that they crave.

Through this year’s Chipotle Boorito promotion, the restaurant brand will be giving away $1 Million in free burritos. As seen in the video, the process is relatively simple to navigate.

In the virtual restaurant, guests must traverse the special maze to unlock various items. The process is easy enough to manage.

Since this promotion is for Halloween, the game avatar can have a special costume. The various costumes are based on popular Chipotle menu items, including, “Chip Bag Ghost, Burrito Mummy, Spicy Devil and Guacenstein, and more.”

According to Chipotle, this year’s Boorito promotion runs October 28 to October 31. With their special Halloween look complete, “users will enter the virtual restaurant where they’ll receive a unique promo code from the cashier for a free entrée if they are one of the first 30,000 visitors between October 28 and October 31 starting at 3:30 pm PT/6:30 pm ET each day.”

And, if guests aren’t one of the lucky 30,000 per day, don’t fret. Chipotle will be offering $5 burrito, bowl, salad, or taco entrée on Halloween. Use the code BOORITO to receive the special deal.

While some people may long for that in person experience, this collaboration showcases the importance of staying relevant in the pop culture space. Beyond the partnerships with celebrities or traditional events, restaurants need to expand their reach into the worlds that people love. After finding ways to bring the food to the couch, it was only a matter of time that those favorite food choices would appear in the virtual world.

What do you think of this year’s version of the Chipotle Boorito promotion? Do you think that other brands will step into the metaverse?