Chipotle‘s recent TikTok-inspired menu additions led to two of its biggest digital sales days of all time.
The famously creator-friendly burrito chain put the Fajita Quesadilla on its permanent menu in March, after TikToker Alexis Frost (2.5 million followers) posted a “hack” video where she added Chipotle’s fajita veggie mix–aka peppers and onions–to its default steak quesadilla.
Her video got more than 30 million views and, according to Chipotle, generated more than 47,000 comments and 69,000 shares of “viral TikTok content” related to the (at the time) off-menu item.
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@alexis.frost @alexis.frost this has been one of my faves ever since it was suggested . #mrsfrost #chipotle #quesadilla #foodie #foodtok #fastfood ♬ mario sound – mandycap
Chipotle responded by updating its menu to let customers add fajita veggies to any quesadilla for free. It also added the option to get its honey-chipotle vinaigrette with any quesadilla order. That option was inspired by TikToker Keith Lee, who took Frost’s steak + fajita veggies idea and added the vinaigrette to it.
Both options were digital exclusives, meaning if people wanted ’em, they had to place their orders either through the Chipotle app or on its website.
“The results have been outstanding,” Brian Niccol, Chipotle’s CEO, said during the company’s first-quarter earnings call. “During the launch, we nearly doubled our quesadilla business and had two of our top digital sales days of all time.”
Niccol added that Chipotle is a fan of “hacks” like Frost and Lee’s, because they just involve new combinations of stuff Chipotle already offers. That lets the chain broaden its menu and at the same time “limits additional complexity in our restaurants.”
“This was a really easy one for operators to execute,” he said.
Chipotle reported earnings of $2.4 billion for the quarter, up 17.2% year-over-year.
