Chipotle Mexican Grill announced a new metaverse gaming experience on Roblox that includes the chance to win free food in the real world. 

The "Chipotle Burrito Builder" will allow players to assemble burritos in exchange for Burrito Bucks, Chipotle’s in-experience currency on Roblox. The first 100,000 players to build a burrito will earn Burrito Bucks that can be exchanged for free entrees on the Chipotle app or website. 

The experience will launch on April 7, in celebration of National Burrito Day. 

It's the chain's second custom experience on Roblox, following the "Chipotle Boorito Maze" in October, which the chain said it was pleased with despite a major Roblox outage.

The Roblox experiences have allowed Chipotle to better engage with its customers, according to Chris Brandt, the chain's chief marketing officer.

“We’ve tapped into play-to-earn, an emerging engagement model in the metaverse,” Brandt said.

Metaverse glossary for brands

Also on April 7, Chipotle is introducing its first menu item inspired by the metaverse, the Chipotle Burrito Builder Burrito. The burrito is based on a Twitter poll of Roblox players’ go-to burrito orders. It includes white rice, black beans, chicken, fresh tomato salsa, tomatillo red-chili salsa, sour cream, cheese, lettuce, and guacamole. Chipotle called it the first real-world food created by a national restaurant brand in collaboration with the metaverse community.

Back to 1993

The "Chipotle Burrito Builder" will feature a retro theme based on the brand’s first location, which opened in Denver in 1993.

The game’s surrounding location in the metaverse will also be modeled after the neighborhood in which the chain’s first restaurant was established. The site, in real life, is a popular place of pilgrimage for Chipotle superfans. 

In addition, Roblox players' avatars can don Chipotle's 90s-inspired uniforms. Through gameplay, they can unlock virtual items inspired by ‘90s fashion trends, including a Chipotle Guacman, Chipotle Foil Fanny Pack, Chipotle Cheese Frosted Tips, Chipotle Spoon Shades, Chipotle Pepper Choker, Chipotle Doodle Bandana, and Chipotle Pepper Tie Dye Shirt.

Several other brands are trying to engage with Gen Z consumers through creative gameplay experiences on Roblox. In November, Nike teamed up with Roblox to create Nikeland, a metaverse world inspired by the brand’s Beaverton, Oregon headquarters, where players could play a variety of mini-games and earn virtual rewards. Last month it introduced Airtopia, an area within Nikeland, to promote Air Max sneakers. In September, Hyundai launched a virtual test drive experience called “Hyundai Mobility Adventure” on Roblox.