Chipotle’s social media team certainly managed to make the brand go viral on Tuesday, though it’s less clear whether the publicity was good or bad for the billion dollar burrito franchise.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Twitter account for Chipotle Mexican Grill posted a bizarre poll to their more than 800,000 Twitter followers. In their poll, the restaurant asked “How many Burritos?” and gave responders two bizarre options: 1) “420,” an obvious reference to April 20, a day well known for being a celebration for individuals who smoke marijuana, and 2) “69,” which is slang for a risqué sexual position between two individuals.
How many burritos?
— Chipotle (@ChipotleTweets) September 6, 2016
While it is uncertain whether or not the tweet will be successful in luring new customers, it certainly got people talking about the franchise. As of Wednesday afternoon, over 90,000 people had voted in the poll, which gave the option”420” a commanding lead (63 percent) over “69” (37 percent).
The move may also be an attempt to bring publicity back to a franchise that has struggled in recent months following a series of high-profile outbreaks of food-borne illness in 2015 that dropped the company’s overall sales over 25 percent in early 2016. Chipotle has also tried to win back customers by introducing a slew of new promotions, including free burrito days, specials on booze, and a reward club for frequent customers.
Regardless of one’s choice in the bizarre Chipotle poll, it certainly brought a lot of publicity to the company.
