4 Marketing Lessons from 126 Chipotle Lunches in 182 Days

Right, that’s every single weekday for six months straight minus four sad days when meetings prevented me from going. And no, it was not some kind of Super Size Me experiment — just a dude who really likes his burrito bowl.

This all happened at the Chipotle right across the street from my old office in LA where my daily lunch experiences reminded me of some critical marketing truths. But before we get to those, here are some highlights of what actually happened over these six months:

Double Meat for Every Lunch: Either chicken and steak or just double chicken. No rice, no beans, just fajita veggies. Medium and hot salsa, sour cream, as much cheese as they would give me and guac. That’s it. Low carb high fat. And a Coke Zero. Delicious!

0.8% of the Meals Were Free: Basically, I got one free lunch. It was very nice. Felt good. But the other 125 came at full price. No free drink or anything. That’s ok though. But I did spend about $1,750 with them over those six months.

I Got 4 “Who’s Your Buddy?” Cards: Those “buy one get one free” coupons are great. Makes it easy to bring somebody. One of the cards was given to me very deliberately with the guy recognizing my loyalty. The other three seemed more random.

I Dragged a Bunch of People in There: And not just from the “buddy” cards. People who wanted to have lunch with me knew they would have to come to Chipotle. It was that simple.

Some People Will Try to Steal a Burrito: Chipotle is delicious. One day this one guy went down the whole line and at the end tried to run off with the burrito. He got tackled by the staff. Fail.

Gimme More Chipotle! Would you get tired of that much Chipotle? Possibly. But I didn’t. I’ve been going for years and continue to go as often as I possibly can. I’m hooked.

Now onto the marketing lessons…

1. Purpose Matters, But How?

Marketers win when they’re able to set a broader context for their business that is authentic and meaningful. Chipotle has done a pretty good job with this. Their mission: to change the way people think about and eat fast food.

I doubt the average Joe’s I saw in there every day would have any idea about that mission. But by not over-communicating their purpose explicitly and instead finding less direct ways to get it out there, Chipotle is staying credible. They’d rather walk the walk.

Take Cultivate for instance — their free festival that “celebrates sustainable, wholesome and delicious food.” Or the fact that they’ll just stop selling carnitas when pork suppliers don’t meet their standards. Your purpose feeds what you’re actually doing — it’s not something you put on a banner and shove in people’s faces.

2. It Ain’t About Promotion

So what the hell brought me in there practically every single day? Ads? Billboards? Coupons? Not even close. In fact, Chipotle does very little (if any) traditional marketing. Instead they follow their purpose and engage as much as possible through social channels.

Now, was the line longer on January 26 when they had their sofritas promotion? Sure. So for some, promotion obviously matters. But for a brand like Chipotle, growth is not based on quick incentives and heavy advertising executed to persuade people to come in. It’s about purpose and product. Being consistent and current.

3. Loyalty Rewards ≠ Social Media

Look, it’s not that I feel entitled to some kind of reward here. I really don’t. But as a marketer, I’m surprised nobody has created the loyalty rewards system in the context of social and digital. I remember years ago when I was checking in at Chipotle in Santa Monica every day and got nothing other than the silly mayor status. Now I don’t even bother doing anything like that.

If I were Chipotle, though, I would want to know about people who come in everyday and also bring others with them. And I would probably want to know what they think. But do those people need to hit up Joe Stupp via @ChipotleTweets everyday for that to happen? There’s still a disconnect and still a huge opportunity for both brands and solution providers to close that gap.

4. A Little Goes a Looooooong Way

That one time when I got a free meal — that one free bowl last fall — triggered what marketers need to focus on more than anything in 2015 and beyond: storytelling at a whole other level.

You see, when you reward someone and you do it right, it’s not about customer service — it’s about the stories you create. I immediately became “the guy who eats at Chipotle so much that he gets it for free.” Chipotle was in the conversation on a daily basis at the office and in my circle. It got a bit exaggerated, but that one act by Chipotle created a set of truly impactful stories that far exceeded the $13 and some change they gave up that day.

What Marketers Must Remember

If you relentlessly pursue quality and consistency in what you deliver and you’re truly guided by a meaningful purpose that resonates with your audience and ultimately makes the world a better place in some kind of way, you’re on track.

And if you find ways to engage with your audience in the ways that your audience prefers — even if it’s not scalable — you have a really good shot.

Chipotle does so many things right, but it’s about these basics — not some over-the-top fancy, silly or loud stuff. Every single marketer can learn from this brand. There are even lessons for artists and musicians. Be the consumer and you’ll see.