The opening stretch of 2025 presented a steep challenge for restaurants as economic uncertainty dragged on performance at nearly every quick service, fast casual and casual dining chain. Even the usually consistent Chipotle saw same-store sales decrease in Q1 — its first such decline since the beginning of the pandemic led to restaurant closures.

Like other restaurants, Chipotle is turning to marketing to weather choppy waters, with executives citing a need to make the brand more visible, relevant and loved. Apart from current macro headwinds, Chipotle in the last few years has also seen a step down in business during the summer — an additional challenge that it will look to overcome through marketing, CEO Scott Boatwright said on an April earnings call discussing the company’s Q1 results.

“The marketing initiatives that are in flight are really just to maintain our position as it relates to relevance with the consumer throughout the summer months when our competitors continue to spend at high levels,” Boatwright said.

First up this season is a “Summer of Extras” effort that will give away more than $1 million in free burritos, followed by future campaigns centered around Chipotle’s long-running commitment to real ingredients. The latter component feels especially timely considering conversations around food additives spurred by the “Make America Healthy Again” movement.

“The good news is… none of that stuff is in any of the Chipotle foods. We don’t really have to change anything,” said Chris Brandt, president, chief brand officer, at Chipotle. “There’s so much price-point comparison going on ... what we want to emphasize from Chipotle is a quality standpoint.”

Shared values

Chipotle has long made its approach to sourcing simple ingredients through sustainable agriculture a focal point of its marketing. That has allowed the brand to stay true to its tenets without the need for repositioning to meet the contemporary moment.

“We really want consumers to understand our difference … and get them maybe not only to buy the brand, but buy into the product proposition that Chipotle has,” Brandt said. “When we get that, then we have a customer for life.”

Brandt continues to look for opportunities to find an intersection between Chipotle and culture. Partnerships over the years have embraced a shared sense of value between Chipotle and brands including cosmetics marketer E.l.f. and workwear icon Carhartt.

“One of the good witness tests is when you hear the collab is happening, and you go, ‘Wow, that makes a lot of sense,’” Brandt said.

Chipotle’s latest collaboration is with Cobra Golf and professional golfer Max Homa. At last month’s PGA Memorial Tournament, Homa, a brand ambassador, used a club headcover that resembles the chain’s silver burrito wrapper. The $90 item sold out in minutes — viral success that Chipotle has seen with previous releases, including a car napkin holder, a lemonade cup candle and a college freshman essentials kits.

When different people in his life ask if these oddball collaborations are real and where they can get one, then Brandt knows Chipotle has a winner on its hands, the executive explained.

Online and on the field

Beyond teaming with other brands on wink-and-nod novelties, Chipotle has relied on official (and unofficial) relationships with sports leagues and players, whether through its multiyear partnership with the NHL or its Real Food for Real Athletes platform. The latter has opened up channels to players including NBA star Anthony Edwards and tennis pro Taylor Fritz.

The growing prevalence of name, image and likeness rights deals with college athletes has given brands an opportunity to connect with the next generation of stars. But while many marketers focus on top players, Chipotle’s NIL work with Ohio State University doled out free burritos weekly for every Division I athlete at the school, which shares a hometown with a company outpost.

“These athletes have now grown up with Chipotle. They’ve been having it since they were in grade school and it’s been a part of their life, so we have legitimate, honest, organic stories to tell,” Brandt said.

Chipotle has also been a first-mover in many digital spaces, including Roblox. The chain first ventured onto the gaming platform in 2021 and used a burrito roller experience to give out real-world rewards for completing virtual activities. While Chipotle had been dormant on the platform for several years, some of Roblox’s 85 million daily active users were still patronizing its world space. That led Chipotle to reengage on Roblox, debuting a national TV ad and tapping into trading card mania on the platform earlier this year.

“Sometimes marketers get tired of stuff before consumers really do,” Brandt explained. “We weren’t necessarily tired of it, but we were waiting for the next big idea.”

Staying true

As it looks to bounce back from a tough Q1, Chipotle will “meaningfully” ramp up marketing spend, increasing activity in digital and social channels and leveraging its rewards platform, Boatwright said on the April earnings call. The company expects to spend in the high 2% range of sales on marketing for the full-year.

“Now we’re at a place where we can really pour the gas on some of these other channels that give us a really high return, and we can experiment and do some things differently,” Brandt said.

Along with the Summer of Extras, Chipotle will continue to run its influencer-focused “YourPotle” campaign that launched in April and introduce new spots in its long-running “Behind the Foil” platform that provides behind-the-scenes looks at its kitchens, employees and farmers. Those campaigns continue telling the stories the brand has centered on since its founding in 1993 and could help it navigate choppy economic waters, even as its competitors turn to discounting.

“We think our food and our food values really hold up, so it’s incumbent upon us, from a marketing standpoint, to find new and interesting ways to talk about that,” Brandt said. “There’s going to be various periods of ups and downs, but we’ll stay the course, and find creative ways to keep telling our story and keep highlighting our difference. We think that will both build the brand for today, but also build the brand for tomorrow as well.”