When it comes to branding, Chipotle has officially jumped the shark.
The restaurant chain, which focuses on a fancier way of presenting fast food, launched bags and cups this week adorned with original text by famous authors such as Jonathan Safran Foer, Malcolm Gladwell, Toni Morrison, George Saunders, and Michael Lewis, a contributing editor at Vanity Fair. You can visit VF's website to read each text in its entirety, although that might ruin your fun if you're planning to eat a burrito bowl later this week.
Foer, who first pitched the chain his idea, said the impetus for the project came about when he was sitting at a Chipotle and realized he had nothing to read — no book, no magazine, and, at the time, no smartphone.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"I really just wanted to die with frustration," Foer told VF Daily, which sums up how I feel about this whole glorified PR blitz. Call me old school, but when I hit a fast-food place by myself, I'm not looking to feel smarter. I'm looking to feel full, you know, fast.
Decide for yourself by taking a gander at two of the new designs, below. --Sarah Eberspacher
-
September 1 editorial cartoonsCartoons Monday’s political cartoons include Labor Day picnic, branding strategy, and more
-
What is Tony Blair's plan for Gaza?Today's Big Question Former PM has reportedly been putting together a post-war strategy 'for the past several months'
-
When does autumn begin?The Explainer The UK is experiencing a 'false autumn', as climate change shifts seasonal weather patterns
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
