Chipotle's Halloween "Boorito" promotion apparently drew less ghouls and goblins this year, and more food waste.
According to Chipotle workers on Reddit, the fast-casual chain's annual event was a "flop," despite restaurants nationwide preparing copious amounts of food with higher expectations.
"I’ve worked here for 8 years and have worked every single Boorito since. It’s always my favorite because I love when its busy like that and the costumes are fun. However, last night was such a disappointment!" wrote u/outerspacedna, who says they work at a Chipotle location in a college town. (They did not respond to a request for comment.)
The user questioned whether the unpopularity was due to customers forgetting the first in-person event in two years or the fact that the discount wasn't as significant as previous years.
Typically, the Boorito promotion provides a burrito, bowl, salad or an order of tacos for $3 or $4 to anyone wearing a costume. This year, the deal shot up to $6 and didn't include add-ons like extra meat and guacamole.
"Projected short of 17k and did close to 11k 🤦🏻♀️ the chips that were thrown out last night 😫🥴," they wrote.
Another Redditor, who also said they work at Chipotle, provided a photo of a bunch of bags of chips in a trash bag.
After one user commented, "I would proudly eat these all by myself," u/Slight-Curve8697 responded, "I took about 5 bags home with me."
In another Reddit thread, u/Johney2732 shared a series of pictures featuring massive trays of guacamole and meat, as well as bowls of corn and a pot of peppers prepped for the Halloween deal. The comment section was filled with users who said they work at Chipotle restaurants, writing that they had a similar situation.
Insider spoke with seven Chipotle workers from across the U.S., all of whom told the publication that their locations had a slower-than-average night for the historically popular deal and didn't meet projected sales.
Some workers thought the low turnout could have been due to "chaos" from prior years, where lines were out the door, while others speculated again on the insignificant deal this year.
One worker said her store didn't meet 75% of its sale projections, while a manager from a Southeast location said they were less busy than an average Monday night.
TODAY Food reached out to Chipotle for comment and has not received a response at this time.
