As the NBA Finals approach, Chipotle is ready to join the celebration with a tasty promotion: free burritos! The popular restaurant chain has launched “Chipotle Instant Freeplays,” a new campaign designed to engage basketball fans. Here’s what it’s all about and how you can participate to score some free food.
How to Get Free Burritos from Chipotle
Participating is simple—just stay alert. During the live broadcast of select games in the 2025 NBA Championship series, whenever a coach’s challenge occurs, @chipotletweets will post on X (formerly Twitter). Hidden within the post will be a secret keyword. If you’re one of the first 5,000 fans to text the keyword to 888222, you’ll receive a free entrée.
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Chipotle History
Chipotle was founded by Steve Ells, who took advantage of the growing popularity of burritos and other Mexican dishes when he opened his first restaurant in the 1990s. Since then, the chain has positioned itself as a key player in the fast food industry.
Today, the company has over 3,700 restaurants in various countries, not only in the United States but also in places like Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates. It is the only company of its size in the restaurant industry that owns and operates all of its locations in North America and Europe.
With more than 130,000 employees, Chipotle is part of the Fortune 500 list and is ranked among the most admired companies in the Fortune 2025 list, as well as being recognized on Time’s list of the most influential companies.
How many Chipotle restaurants are there in the United States?
Currently, the restaurant chain has 3,494 locations in the United States. California has the highest concentration of these restaurants, with a total of 486, representing about 14% of all Chipotle restaurants in the country.
What is Chipotle Rewards?
It’s the company’s loyalty program. You’ll earn 10 points for every $1 spent at any of the chain’s restaurants, as well as for orders made through the website or the official app. You can also earn points faster by completing challenges.
Once you accumulate points, you can redeem them for rewards, such as free menu items or exclusive brand products. When you sign up, you’ll also receive a welcome gift, special birthday rewards, and exclusive offers for members.
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When Are the 2025 NBA Finals?
The 2025 NBA Championship series will take place from June 5 to June 22. Here’s the full schedule:
- Game 1: Thursday, June 5 – 8:30 p.m. ET
- Game 2: Sunday, June 8 – 8:00 p.m. ET
- Game 3: Wednesday, June 11 – 8:30 p.m. ET
- Game 4: Friday, June 13 – 8:30 p.m. ET
- Game 5 (if needed): Monday, June 16 – 8:30 p.m. ET
- Game 6 (if needed): Thursday, June 19 – 8:30 p.m. ET
- Game 7 (if needed): Sunday, June 22 – 8:00 p.m. ET
What Is the NBA?
The National Basketball Association (NBA) was founded in 1946 at the Commodore Hotel in New York City during a meeting of arena owners looking to fill vacant dates. This led to the creation of the BAA (Basketball Association of America), with teams from cities like Boston, Chicago, New York, Toronto, and Philadelphia.
Eventually, the BAA evolved into today’s NBA. Currently, the league features 30 franchises, each playing an 82-game regular season that determines playoff seeding, play-in participants, and much of the order for the upcoming season’s Draft—partially determined by the Draft Lottery held at the season’s end.
