OREANDA-NEWS. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE: CMG) today unveiled its Chiptopia Summer Rewards, a three-month-long promotion that begins July 1, 2016.

From July through September, customers participating in Chiptopia can earn free rewards simply by eating the food they already love. Chiptopia is not a typical rewards program. Rewards are not based on the total amount a customer spends, or on accumulating points. Instead, Chiptopia rewards customers for making multiple paid visits to Chipotle within a given month.

“We created Chiptopia to reward our most loyal customers who continue to support our efforts to cultivate a better world,” said Mark Crumpacker, chief creative and development officer at Chipotle. “While Chiptopia Summer Rewards lasts just three months, we will be carefully listening to our customers and using what we learn as we consider the design of an ongoing rewards program.”

Chiptopia Summer Rewards offers three different status levels: Mild, Medium and Hot. Just four visits, with a qualifying purchase during each, earns Mild status and a free entr?e. Someone who achieves the Hot level in all three months can earn up to nine free entr?es over the course of the rewards program, plus a $240 “Catering for 20” Bonus Reward.

  • To participate, customers can visit any U.S. Chipotle starting July 1 to pick up a Chiptopia card.
  • Customers then earn credit toward the various status levels for individual visits within the same month during which they spend a minimum of $6 before tax.
  • During each month of the program, a customer’s fourth, eighth and 11th visit and entr?e purchase triggers a reward for one free entr?e and elevates the customer to a new status level.
  • Redeemed rewards also count as a purchase toward reaching the next status level. Thus, customers purchase four entr?es in any month of the program to earn Mild status; eight entr?es (one of which can be the free entr?e earned for the Mild level) to reach the Medium level; and 11 entr?es (another one of which can be the free entr?e earned in the Medium level) to unlock the Hot level.
  • At the end of each month, purchase totals reset to zero, and participants begin again the following month.
  • A maximum of one visit (with a purchase of $6 or more) per member, per day counts toward Chiptopia rewards. Purchasing multiple entr?es on the same day does not earn additional rewards (for example, if a customer buys three meals at one time or in the same day it only counts for one visit, not three).

Customers who register for the program in July earn a free chips and guacamole with their first entr?e purchase (of $6 or more, before tax) and will be eligible for special Bonus Rewards, available for redemption at the end of the promotion. Users are able to register at any point from July through September; however, the free chips and guacamole and Bonus Rewards are only available to those who join the program by July 31. Bonus Rewards are only available to those customers who achieve status levels all three months.

Rewards earned during Chiptopia expire 30 days after they are earned. Mild and Medium Bonus Rewards expire on Dec. 31, 2016 and the Hot Bonus Reward expires on March 31, 2017. The rewards program is valid in the U.S. only and cannot be combined with other coupons, promotions or special offers.

ABOUT CHIPOTLE

Steve Ells, founder, chairman and co-CEO, started Chipotle with the idea that food served fast did not have to be a typical fast food experience. Today, Chipotle continues to offer a focused menu of burritos, tacos, burrito bowls (a burrito without the tortilla) and salads made from fresh, high-quality raw ingredients, prepared using classic cooking methods and served in a distinctive atmosphere. Through our vision of Food With Integrity, Chipotle is seeking better food from using ingredients that are not only fresh, but that — where possible — are sustainably grown and raised responsibly with respect for the animals, the land and the farmers who produce the food. In order to achieve this vision, we focus on building a special people culture that is centered on creating teams of top performers empowered to achieve high standards. This people culture not only leads to a better dining experience for our customers, it also allows us to develop future leaders from within. Chipotle opened with a single restaurant in 1993 and operates more than 2,000 restaurants, including 26 Chipotle restaurants outside the US and 14 ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen restaurants, and is an investor in an entity that owns and operates four Pizzeria Locale restaurants.