UPDATE: June 27, 2016 at 12:47 p.m.
Chipotle has finally released more information on its loyalty program that will pay you back in free guac. Yep, you read that right. Guac won't be extra. It's called Chiptopia and if you pick up a card this summer, you'll get a free order of chips and guacamole with your first purchase.
The summer-long promotion is running from July 1 through September 30 and includes three rewards levels: mild, medium, and hot. Mild status means you make four $6 purchases in a month and you'll get a free entree. Medium gets you two free entrees once you buy eight meals. Hot status requires 11 visits but you'll get three free entrees.
And there are some bonus rewards on top of that. If you score mild status for all three months, you'll get an additional entree on the house. Stay medium and you'll get $20 in swag like hats and t-shirts. If you're hot all summer long, you'll get catering for 20 people (worth $240). Sounds pretty sweet to us.
ORIGINAL POST: April 28, 2016 at 11:33 a.m.
After a decidedly rough few months, Chipotle announced its first ever quarterly loss this week, reportedly going over $26 million into the red after multiple E. coli outbreaks last year. Originally, the chain had hoped to win customers back by offering up 25 million free burritos — but vastly underestimated how effective it'd be, and how it might, in fact, contribute to their financial losses.
Now, the restaurant chain has offered up a new plan. On Tuesday, Chipotle announced two new updates to their restaurants: the addition of chorizo to the menu and, more excitingly, the launch of a loyalty rewards program. Since the program is still in early development, Chipotle has yet to release any specific details about how it might work. However, it appears that the program is meant to be temporary, and is mostly designed to lure customers back into their restaurants.
"A lot of what we are aiming our efforts at are our top, loyal customers," chief development and creative officer Mark Crumpacker, chief development and creative officer said, according to The New York Post. "Their frequency has declined."
Crumpacker went on to say that he is not worried about Chipotle's future, and doesn't believe this quarter's losses to be indicative of a greater trend. They haven't yet specified when customers can start to take part in the rewards program, but based on the announcement, it looks like free burritos might just be in your near future.
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