Chipotle uses Halloween fun to scare up awareness and profits

At its heart, Halloween is a holiday based on one simple premise: Scoring as much free candy as you possibly can. So it kind of makes sense that restaurants would look for ways to work the indulgent day into their marketing efforts.

One of the most visible efforts comes from the better-for-you-Mexican-food chain, Chipotle. The restaurant has given away free food in the past to customers who visit its locations in costume, but they’re bringing their “Food With Integrity” tagline to life this year by asking Halloweeners (our word, not theirs) to visit on October 31 while dressed as a “horrifying processed food product.”

Visitors wearing the proper attire will receive a snack for just $2, with proceeds benefiting The Cultivate Foundation, which helps fund initiatives that support sustainable agriculture, family farming, and culinary education. To promote the effort, the chain hired comedian Rob Riggle to channel some his most obnoxious movie roles in a video featuring a rude, crude and inconsiderate Frankenstein on his way to his local Chipotle (see video above).

Chipotle is also hosting a costume contest, which challenges fans to take a picture of themselves (in costume) inside or outside a Chipotle restaurant and submit it on the restaurant’s Boorito webpage. One grand prize winner will receive a $2,500 prize while five others will receive $1,000. Twenty runners-up will win a burrito party for 10 at the Chipotle of their choice.

“We have always believed that good food should be affordable and accessible to everyone, and our annual Boorito fundraiser is a great opportunity for customers to enjoy a burrito while supporting a great cause,” said Chipotle founder Steve Ells in a news release. “It’s a great way to celebrate Halloween by doing something good.”

It’s also a great example of Halloween marketing done right.