When it comes to metaverse recreation, Chipotle isn’t fooling around. They’re asking customers to step behind the counter to make their own burritos.
For National Burrito Day on April 7, Chipotle offered free burritos to the first 100,000 users to play its new metaverse Burrito Builder on Roblox. Unlike the seasonal Boorito Maze, Burrito Builder will remain on Roblox for users to engage and roll to their heart’s content, earning Burrito Bucks along the way that can be traded for virtual upgrades and additional rewards. Besides the promotion, however, the question remains, is the game fun or just another unnecessary distraction from barbacoa?
Scored over a million gameplays in less than 24 hours. The hook? Finishing rolling a virtual burrito to earn a code for a free in-store wrap. The 100,000 codes were snapped up 30 minutes after Burrito Builder’s launch with up to 27,000 people playing at the same time.
This represents Chipotle’s second foray into Web3 after its Boorito Maze garnered 8.8 million gameplays and 5 million unique users at the end of October. Engaging users on Roblox opens an entirely new market for the fresh farmed food made fast restaurant.
The game is really designed for younger, Gen-Z users, especially those that have never had the pleasure of working at a food service establishment. Gameplay mimics the actual Chipotle burrito builder experience with customers requesting different toppings while players try to keep up with a rolling, unwrapped wrap scrolling by. Players get the real-life stress of a busy restaurant right at their fingertips.
Chipotle Burrito Builder pays homage to the Chipotle burrito that was born in Denver in 1993 with a 1990s-inspired Mile High setting. The surrounding area mirrors the original Chipotle’s real neighborhood roots. Over the past two decades, many Millennial superfans have made pilgrimages to the company’s first location on Evans Avenue in Denver. Burrito Builder aims to replicate that experience in the metaverse for the next generation.
Speaking to nostalgia, Roblox players begin with a standard 1990s Chipotle uniform to rolling online burritos. As they manufacture more meat bombs, gamers unlock Burrito Bucks with which they can buy additional gear like a Chipotle Pepper Tie Dye Shirt, Chipotle Cheese Frosted Tips, and Chipotle Spoon Shades.
Burrito Builder is a worthy simulacrum of real-life and an entertaining and edifying sample of being a front line worker without the permanent grease stains on one’s pants. As Roblox serves a youthful market that’s now just building a life on the metaverse, it’s an intelligent move by Chipotle to reach this segment in its natural environment. Aligned to Web3 values, the app even engaged its audience in building the first collective burrito.
On April 1, Chipotle polled Roblox players on Twitter to help build a cooperative go-to burrito order. The result was the first real-world menu item created by a national restaurant community — the Chipotle Burrito Builder Burrito featuring white rice, black beans, chicken, fresh tomato salsa, tomatillo red-chili salsa, sour cream, cheese, lettuce, and guac.
If you’re into Roblox, Burrito Builder is an enjoyable game. And for upcoming promotions, Burrito Builder is an amusing chance to get a free fat roll. So, if you’re employed or otherwise engaged, keep your eye out for upcoming free burritos and keep your day job.
