Chipotle levels up gaming efforts with Tekken 8 in-game perks, menu item

Dive Brief:

Chipotle today (April 8) announced a series of activations tied to its status as an official partner of 2024 fighting game Tekken 8, per details shared with Marketing Dive.
Starting today, players can earn in-game currency from digital orders on the Chipotle app and website and through the Chipotle Rewards Exchange. The chain also unveiled a limited-run menu item, the Tekken 8 Battle Bowl, a burrito bowl designed by fans of the game.
Additionally, Tekken 8 will be the title game for the return of Chipotle’s esports competition, the 2024 Chipotle Challenger Series. The chain separately will also return as the presenting partner of the 2024 Evolution Championship Series (Evo) in Las Vegas.

Dive Insight:

Chipotle is again tying itself to the gaming community, this time as an official partner of Tekken 8, the latest installment of the fighting game franchise from Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc. Last year, the chain rolled out a similarly expansive partnership with Capcom’s Street Fighter 6.

Beginning today, Chipotle is offering Tekken 8 players the chance to earn in-game currency when they order through the Chipotle app or website and use the promo code “EWGF623,” a code that pays homage to the game’s “Electric Wind God Fist” move. For every qualifying order placed, players will receive a code for 500 Tekken Coins, the game’s currency, while supplies last. Chipotle Rewards members can also redeem 250 points in the Chipotle Rewards Exchange to earn an additional code for 500 Tekken Coins.

Additionally, for a limited time, fans of the fighting game can order the Tekken 8 Battle Bowl exclusively on the Chipotle app or website. The bowl was strategized in January, when Tekken during its World Tour Finals gave its followers on X (formerly known as Twitter) the opportunity to vote for the ingredients they wanted featured in the menu item. In total, the bowl was decided with over 38,000 votes. Chipotle in the past has leveraged its fans to create new menu items, having last year added a TikTok-viral fajita quesadilla to its digital menu.

Further flexing its partnership, the 2024 edition of Chipotle’s Challenger Series esports competition will feature Tekken 8 as its title game. Notably, the competition will be hosted in partnership with Sony Interactive Entertainment and represent the first-ever branded tournament on the PlayStation Tournaments platform, with the Grand Finals event slated to be broadcast live on the PlayStation esports Twitch and YouTube channels on May 4. Eligible competitors will earn free chips and guacamole, while the two winners of the Grand Finals will receive free Chipotle for a year, a trip to Evo in Las Vegas and a share of a $20,000 cash prize.

Chipotle for the second consecutive year will also serve as a presenting sponsor of Evo. Meant to build on its successful 2023 experience, this year the chain will host an on-site community lounge and dole out free entree cards to pool winners. The chain will also introduce “Chipotle Extra Match” segments during the event’s live broadcast to reduce downtime for viewers and offer coverage opportunities for players who may not otherwise be featured on the broadcast.

“The amazing reception we received from the Fighting Game Community in 2023, notably Evo attendees cheering for our ads when they aired during the competition, has inspired us to double down on our investment in FGC,” said Chris Brandt, chief brand officer at Chipotle, in press details. “Gaming is a force shaping culture, so it’s imperative that we show up in the right way for this passionate community by providing real value and access to exclusive experiences.”

Chipotle has often targeted the gaming community in its efforts to shore up stronger loyalty and grow its rewards program, which was recently estimated by CEO Brian Niccol to include between 38 million to 40 million members. Aside from title partnerships, the chain in the past has activated on Roblox to allow consumers to roll their own virtual burritos and to host a Halloween-themed restaurant.

Beyond gaming, Chipotle again marketed around National Burrito Day last week to dole out over $1 million in free burritos via a Burrito Vault mobile game.