Chipotle is dropping a limited-edition, three-foot-wide version of its takeout bag as part of a broader push to cater to group dining.
The bag, which launches today (Oct. 13), promotes the chain’s Family Meals offering, previously known as Build-Your-Own Chipotle. The $10-per-person deal gives groups all the ingredients to build their own tacos, salads, nachos, and bowls.
Each week, 2,000 U.S. Chipotle Rewards members who order a family meal on the app or website will be eligible to win a Big Ass Chipotle Bag. For the first two days the competition is live, Chipotle will also hand out a small number of bags at select restaurants across the U.S. and Canada.
The bag has a 170-liter capacity and measures 36 inches wide, 24 inches tall, and 12 inches deep. The idea was to play with one of Chipotle’s iconic brand assets, said chief brand officer Fernando Machado.
“We took one of the most recognizable parts of the Chipotle experience, gave it an outsized upgrade, and created something that’s impossible to miss,” Machado said. “It’s fun, it’s ridiculous, and it’s exactly the kind of thing we knew our fans would want to get their hands on.”
The Big Ass Chipotle Bag is an early piece of work from Machado, the former Burger King CMO who joined Chipotle in June as part of its turnaround plans.
The campaign also marks the first major collaboration between Chipotle and its new creative agency partner Gut. Chipotle did not hold a pitch for the partnership, and it works with a roster of creative partners across different campaigns and initiatives, a brand spokesperson said. Machado worked closely with Gut during his time at Burger King.
For its debut work for the brand, Gut took a cue from high-fashion campaigns, turning the takeout bag into a desirable item. To signal the bag’s size, all sorts of huge items get added, including a trumpet, a Christmas tree, and even a chair from the restaurant.
Ricky Casal, chief creative officer at Gut Miami, said the beauty of the idea is that it doesn’t need explaining.
“You see this ridiculously oversized Chipotle bag and immediately get the joke. We leaned into that simplicity, treating it like a luxury object and letting the scale do the storytelling,” he said.
