TikTok stars Keith Lee and Alexis Frost. Provided
Chipotle Mexican Grill has TikTok to thank for its latest menu item — the Fajita Quesadilla launching March 2 as a digital-only menu item on the Chipotle app and Chipotle.com.
The quesadillas, which come with Monterey jack cheese, protein of choice and fajita veggies, went viral in late 2022, when TikTok creator Alexis Frost reviewed a Chipotle Steak Quesadilla with Fajita Veggies, dubbing it a perfect “10” for her 2.4 million followers.
Fellow food critic Keith Lee stitched the video of himself sampling the quesadilla with a DIY vinaigrette hack made by combining Chipotle-Honey Vinaigrette dressing and sour cream. His coveted “10 out 10” rating of the “hack” flooded the feeds of his more than 10.7 million followers and the entire platform took notice. In the week following Frost and Lee’s videos going live, Chipotle saw more than 30.6 million views, 3.7 million likes, 47,200 comments, and 69,500 shares of viral TikTok content about the Steak Quesadilla with Fajita Veggies.
Worth the wait?
Despite the massive fanfare around the viral hack, the menu item posed a challenge for Chipotle’s restaurant employees because it was not an official menu item on Chipotle’s digital ordering channel, according to CMO Chris Brandt. Chipotle quickly mobilized to execute tech updates for approximately 3,200 restaurant locations and conduct training for its100,000 employees.
“TikTok has not only changed the way we communicate with Gen-Z but it’s proven it can identify areas of opportunity within our business,” Brandt said in a company press release. With the launch of the Fajita Quesadilla, we are celebrating Keith, Alexis, and all our superfans, who were craving this delicious customization while prioritizing support for our employees.”
To pay homage to Lee and Frost, Chipotle is also launching Lee’s custom Quesadilla order, the “Keithadilla,” and Alexis Frost’s favorite Quesadilla order, the “Fajita Quesadilla Hack,” on the Chipotle app and Chipotle.com for a limited time. These are the exact orders that received “10s” from both Frost and Lee on TikTok.
Keithadilla
- Fajita quesadilla with steak.
- On the side: Roasted chili-corn salsa, sour cream and Chipotle-Honey Vinaigrette
Fajita Quesadilla Hack
- Fajita quesadilla with steak.
- On the side: Roasted chili-corn salsa, tomatillo red-chili salsa and sour cream
“I never could have imagined that I’d have my own menu item at Chipotle,” Lee said in the release. “I’m blessed to be able to work with Alexis and Chipotle to answer the call from the TikTok community. In my opinion the new Fajita Quesadilla dipped in the Chipotle-Honey Vinaigrette mixed with sour cream is a 10 out of 10.”
“The Fajita Quesadilla has been one of my favorite reviews I’ve done on TikTok,” Frost said in the release. “Collabing with Chipotle and Keith for this launch is a dream, and I’m so excited to play a part in making the Fajita Quesadilla an official menu item.”
