Get ready to say “happy birthday” to your favorite foil-wrapped meal. In two weeks, Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) will celebrate its 20th anniversary with a three-week-long treasure hunt, “Adventurrito,” that will take participants through a series of 20 online puzzles and daily prizes that will lead to the ultimate grand prize: free burritos for 20 years.
Over the course of the first 19 days of the contest, Chipotle will be giving away free burritos for a year (that’s one burrito a week for 52 weeks) to 20 contestants each day. On the last day of the contest, the first 20 players who finish the puzzle first will be awarded the Grand Prize of free burritos for 20 years (that’s one burrito a week for the next 20 years). If you’re counting, that’s 21,788 free burritos in total, enough burritos to feed one person for 419 years.
Beginning on Chipotle’s actual anniversary, July 13, 2013, and continuing for 19 days, Chipotle will unlock a daily puzzle at 20:20 MTN time each evening at Adventurrito.com. Once the puzzle is unlocked, players who attempt to answer the puzzle before 20:20 MTN time on the following day will be entered into a daily lottery to win a year of free meals at Chipotle (20 lucky winners will be selected each day). If a player has answered all of the 19 daily puzzles correctly by 20:20 MTN time on Thursday, August 1, the 20th puzzle will be unlocked and the player will have a chance to solve the puzzle and win the grand prize.
“Twenty years in, we are changing the way people think about and eat fast food,” said Steve Ells, founder, chairman and co-CEO of Chipotle. “That vision has connected with a lot of people and helped to make them very loyal customers. In celebrating this milestone, we thought giving something special to our customers was the right thing to do, since they have given so much to us over the years.”
The first 19 puzzles will vary from quick, easy puzzles to more challenging game play, and will incorporate Chipotle history as well as its commitment to better food from more sustainable sources. Each will be accompanied by a video clue presented by high-profile friends of Chipotle, including celebrities, athletes, political leaders, and farmers who are friends with the company. Puzzle hints in the form of haikus, or “Hai-clues,” will also be available to players who need a little extra help solving the puzzle. Hints can be unlocked by visiting any Chipotle restaurant and texting a unique receipt code (found at the bottom of all Chipotle receipts throughout the duration of the contest) to 30364. From there players will receive a hint code that can be entered at Adventurrito.com to reveal the Hai-clue. Once a puzzle is answered correctly the player will earn a medallion and all 19 medallions must be collected to unlock the final puzzle.
“Our 20th anniversary wouldn’t be possible without the continuing support of so many loyal customers and fans,” said Mark Crumpacker, chief marketing officer at Chipotle. “‘Adventurrito’ reflects the fun, irreverent side of Chipotle, and offers a fun way for fans to celebrate our anniversary while getting the chance to win the ultimate Chipotle prize – free burritos for up to 20 years.”
The contest is available to anyone, from first-time eaters to die-hard burrito lovers. In order to participate, players must register at Adventurrito.com. Players who refer friends to the contest will receive an additional entry in the next daily puzzle lottery drawing. Players can also receive an additional entry by registering for the contest prior to 20:20 MTN time on July 13.
Although players need to complete each puzzle within 24 hours of its launch to be eligible for the daily prize, players are able to unlock the 20th puzzle and play for the Grand Prize as long as they have earned the first 19 medallions at any point throughout the contest. Players will be allowed to play each puzzle multiple times for a chance to correctly answer the puzzle and earn a medallion.
Unlike the other puzzles, the Grand Prize puzzle will be a game of skill, based on players’ speed and accuracy. It will also require a deep knowledge of Chipotle lore, trivia and history. The first 20 people to answer the 20th puzzle correctly beginning at 20:20 MTN time on Friday, August 2 will be awarded with free burritos for 20 years. The contest winners will be officially announced by August 15, 2013.
Unlike other similar contests, Chipotle does not require purchase to play. Registered players who answer any of the 19 daily puzzles incorrectly within the first 24 hours will still be eligible for the daily lottery.
