NEW YORK, March 3 — Take the veggies from a fajita, slip them into a quesadilla with extra cheese. This order, placed by an American influencer at fast food outlet Chipotle, generated such a viral following on TikTok that consumers rushed to their local Chipotle to try this customization. In the face of the hack’s popularity, the American fast-food chain has even decided to adapt its menu.
McDonald’s France replacing the potatoes in its French fries with vegetables for a special operation, the release of the BigMac sauce on its own as a standalone grocery store item ... In general, it’s innovations created by fast food chains themselves that generated buzz on social networks. TikTok and Instagram have become essential links in the communications strategies of burger giants, and for any restaurant owner hoping to boost visibility. In 2021, a US survey even found that one in three people have ordered food specifically to post a picture of it on social media, not necessarily eat it.
While a new trend on social media often follows a new menu offering, the influence of some internet users can be so powerful that fast-food chains find themselves developing new sandwiches for their menu based on consumer hacks. In this case, Chipotle took notice of a viral video by a TikToker followed by nearly three million people, @alexisfrost. On December 21, the influencer, who shows off all her fast food orders before devouring them for the camera, showed off a customised quesadilla order for which she had asked staff to fill it with vegetables normally used to prepare a fajita, all generously coated with cheese.
@alexis.frost @alexis.frost this has been one of my faves ever since it was suggested . #mrsfrost #chipotle #quesadilla #foodie #foodtok #fastfood mario sound - mandycap
The success of this sequence snowballed as another influencer picked up on the customisation hack, in turn bringing his own version to it. For his part, @keithlee, followed by nearly 11 million people, has seasoned the quesadilla with a sauce concocted with Chipotle’s honey vinaigrette, which he then mixes with sour cream.
@keith_lee125 #stitch with @alexis.frost “Philly cheesesteak” from Chipotle taste test Chipotle Sauce hack @hasaneats would you try it ? #foodcritic original sound - Keith Lee
In total, the sequences have garnered more than 30 million views, some 3.7 million “likes,” more than 47,200 comments and about 70,000 shares — making them truly viral. The videos were so popular that fans speedily took to delivery platforms or Chipotle itself to test these customised orders. Except that not all Chipotle restaurants were necessarily ready to meet the demand...
In its aim to win over more Gen Z consumers, who make and break trends on TikTok, the food chain, known for its Mexican dishes, decided to train its teams to integrate these new offers, which were initially just special requests. They are available via Chipotle’s app or its online ordering site as of Friday.
The trend for ‘secret menus’
Beyond demonstrating just how powerful social networks can be when it comes to convincing a food company to adapt its menu based on the popularity of a hack, this news also highlights another trend, that of ‘secret restaurant menus’ at fast-food chains. The principle is to personalize menu items by combining several elements. If you’re already used to asking for your cheeseburger without pickles, this trend goes further by consisting of ordering different sandwiches to exchange or remove some ingredients from one stack to another, or by taking elements from another offering to complete the customisation of one’s own burger. A phenomenon that not only has an elevated cost for the consumer, but also complicates the work of employees in fast-food restaurants... — ETX Studio
