Chipotle’s New Game: Crow Foods

Chipotle has a new game and video out!!

Have you heard? It’s the latest and the greatest in many way. It’s really well done and quite beautiful as well. And frankly, it’s just  so sweet that it       touches the cornerstone of what so many of us believe in to be true. It’s the good life- with good food that creates a sense of community and connection and a sense of purpose in what we do when we eat and how we navigate our lives. It’s kinda like a Shakespearean play- it touches on all of the key aspects of humanity. Brava Chipotle, Brava!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUtnas5ScSE&feature=share&list=PLo5Sq8vGKhMOxUUOaMorLgYULnbwH7OeI

And yet there is a little twist of irony to this lovely story with Willy Wonko’s Pure Imagination playing in the background as our beloved scarecrow finds meaning and happiness in life.  Just a few hours before I saw this video I was working in a clients restaurant and met a gentlemen customer- his professional work as the CEO of the Organic Foods Consumer Bureau- piqued my curiosity as I too have worked in the food justice movement on several projects. His work is all about education and my work is all about operations of getting food on the table and getting start up businesses to a break even point with organic food. His stance was that if people know they have a choice and know how to make a choice they will choose food over packaged and fast food.  We certainly enjoyed one another but also parted company knowing that we were coming at the subject from pretty different places.

Little did I know that a few hours later, I was going to see the Chipotle video on non-GMO, factory produced food and how homegrown food makes one happy. It’s almost kinda like the Marlboro man of commercials long gone… smoke Marlboro and you’ll be cool and happy but the message and delivery vehicle are so well done it’s easy to miss the undertones and,…um…. well, it’s green washing.  McDonald’s owns Chipotle. This isn’t a secret. I am not the only one in America that knows this so I sit here shaking my head in disbelief as well as admiring the brilliance. All the while, stunned that McDonalds would put this out.  What were they thinking? Why would they do this?

I am curious to see where this goes and what others have to say.

Two plausible answers I have been able to come up with this evening are;

1) They are making a concerted effort at re-positioning the Chipotle brand which was started in the fast casual category and is now openly going after the fast food (QSR) category.

2)either they are trying to divert media attention off of McDonalds after recent bad press regarding wages and working conditions.

Do you need to look at your brand positioning to ensure that you are in the most successful market for your customers? Or do you want to know more about the 5 main food-service categories?  Or perhaps most importantly, do you want some help with the narrative of your brand?  Contact me. I can help with growing your food business.