Dear Chipotle, People Want More Than Free Burritos

By now you’ve probably heard about the Chipotle public health scare and how the burrito chain is now offering free burritos to customers. But in case you haven’t, here’s a run down.

After the chain sickened about 500 people across the U.S. with E. coli, norovirus, and salmonella in 2015, they are planning a massive marketing campaign for February which includes free burritos to help bring back customers. Their stocks took a 30 percent dive near the end of 2015, presumably because public opinion hit a low and investors were spooked.

Lucky for Chipotle though, stocks rose last Wednesday after the company announced it would roll out free burritos at all its locations, saying the specific dates for the promotion would be left up to each location.

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No doubt, free burritos are a great strategy to regain customer loyalty, as research shows. But it’s worth noting the Denver-based chain already has a cult-like following of brand evangelists who religiously use the hashtags #ChipotleLife and #ChipotleIsLife. While investors and the general public may have been turned off by the company’s food safety problems, Chipotle’s die hard fans haven’t lessened their enthusiasm for the brand.

Take this chap, for example.

And other Chipotle fans continue to post goofy images on social media like the one below.

But just how far will Chipotle fans go to promote their beloved burrito chain? And are free burritos what they really want?

We’ve done some social media monitoring on Twitter, Reddit and Facebook to get a sense for what Chipotle fans are most passionate about and what changes they’d like to see. The groupies have lots of ideas. Perhaps Chipotle would be better off giving away one of the many things their fans have been repeatedly asking for?

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In no particular order, here they are:

Free guacamole, dammit. Chipotle charges approximately $2 for guacamole and there is a whole movement of passionate burrito lovers who are disgruntled by this. Their argument? If other toppings are free, so should guacamole.

Chipotle charges approximately $2 for guacamole and there is a whole movement of passionate burrito lovers who are disgruntled by this. Their argument? If other toppings are free, so should guacamole. Separate the green peppers from the onions. What if you have hot date and you don’t want to scare them off with onion breath, but you still want a burrito? This is a legitimate gripe, no?

What if you have hot date and you don’t want to scare them off with onion breath, but you still want a burrito? This is a legitimate gripe, no? Equally distribute ingredients. Because there is nothing worse than having all the chicken on one end of your burrito.

Because there is nothing worse than having all the chicken on one end of your burrito. Bring back the limes! Chipotle used to offer free slices of lemons and limes to dress burritos. Now they only offer lemons. Full stop.

Chipotle used to offer free slices of lemons and limes to dress burritos. Now they only offer lemons. Full stop. Don’t let customers point over the glass. At every Chipotle location, there is a glass barrier that separates customers from the long row of burrito toppings. Naturally, enthusiastic customers reach over the glass to point out the topping they want to employes. For hygiene-conscious burrito lovers, this is simply too much to bear!

So there you have it Chipotle, while free burritos are always appreciated, to get out of this nightmare fans seem to want more than a free lunch. How about you start with free guacamole for everybody? Your fans and the QuickTapSurvey headquarters will love you for it.