Skip to main content

Chipotle’s Metaverse Burrito Builder: Is It Worth the Time?

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?

Chipotle's Burrito Builder game on Roblox.
Chipotle.

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.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Matthew Denis
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Matt Denis is an on-the-go remote multimedia reporter, exploring arts, culture, and the existential in the Pacific Northwest…
Our chimichurri recipe takes seconds to make, lasts for weeks in the fridge, and is great with everything
Seriously, this chimichurri recipe is just so darn easy!
Plated steak dish

If you've never had homemade chimichurri, you've been missing out on one of the brightest, tangiest, zippiest, most delicious sauces in the culinary kingdom. Perhaps even more significant than its exquisite flavor is the fact that it's tremendously simple and risk-free to prepare, making it a rare jewel in the sauce crown. With just a few simple ingredients thrown into a blender or food processor, this luxurious condiment comes out perfect every time. No need for temperature control or worries of breaking or curdling. This forgiving chimichurri sauce recipe is divinely idiot-proof and perfect on everything from a hearty grilled ribeye to delicately fresh and briny shellfish.

With the help of a good blender (we recommend Breville's Super Q Pro), this simple chimichurri sauce comes together in just seconds and will keep in your fridge for weeks, waiting to be poured on all of your favorite dishes.

Read more
5 incredible tequila recipes you’ve definitely never heard of
Have you ever heard of these tequila drinks and applications?
Corralejo Tequila Tropical being mixed with.

Tequila has always been an incredibly popular drink, especially when it's mixed into a variety of cocktails. Better still, the agave spirit is a lot more versatile than you might think. Sure, we've all heard of and even mixed up a few margaritas or some tasty Palomas. But what of lesser-known applications, like cocktails kissed with bittersweet amari or salsas for dipping?

With several distinctive styles, from blanco to reposado, tequila's uses are many. The lightest versions can perfectly accent an unbelievably refreshing batch of ranch water. Darker, aged versions can be used to cook with or join unexpected ingredients in your cocktail shaker. Want some proof? Check out some great, lesser-known tequila recipes below.

Read more
How to make hard cider (it’s not as complicated as you think)
Making your own hard cider is a surprisingly easy and an incredibly fun new skill to learn
Hard apple cider in a glass, surrounded by apples.

There's never a bad time to start drinking hard apple cider. Not only is it a wonderfully different, crisp, and refreshing adult beverage to enjoy, but making your own hard cider at home can be an incredibly fun hobby. If you're looking to try something new, consider learning how to make your own hard apple cider.

As much as we'd like to talk about beer, that's not what we're here for — not right now, at least. We're talking hard cider here, which is not only as tasty as beer, but it's also simpler to make in the confines of your home/apartment/Quonset hut. Read on and start brewing your own hard apple cider.

Read more