Chipotle is in hot water after its ‘Boorito’ promotion for Halloween went badly. Users of the restaurant chain’s mobile app reported issues with ordering their $6 burrito as part of the promotion.
This isn’t the first year Chipotle has had this problem, and the Newport Beach, Calif., chain is far from the only one to experience app issues during high-traffic promotions. Both McDonald’s and Wendy’s saw app failures on National Cheeseburger Day earlier this year.
The Chipotle deal was that participating customers who used the chain’s app on Halloween could get a $6 burrito from 3 p.m. to close if they were wearing a costume.
Some rewards members were able to add the promo code, only for the app to say there was a “missing item,” though an eligible entree was already in the order. Others reported waiting hours for the text verification code necessary to access their rewards accounts. The Chipotle app also froze or crashed for many users.
“Due to extraordinary demand, we temporarily experienced intermittent technical issues on the app and website for guests placing digital orders. We resolved the issue and honored the promotional offer inside our restaurants and on digital,” Laurie Schalow, chief corporate affairs officer at Chipotle, said in a statement e-mailed to Nation’s Restaurant News.
Chipotle posted on X, formerly Twitter, to say that the deal would work in person after hearing from customers that they weren’t able to access the deal.
Chipotle’s initial tweet announcing the promotion had over 3,000 comments, many of which are negative.
The chain also kept 53 of the highest-grossing Chipotle locations open later than usual on Halloween, giving more time for discounted burritos.
This promotion hasn’t happened in person since 2019.