Brand

Chipotle Hands Its New National Ad Campaign to 100 Creators, With Zero Brand-Shot Footage

Published on September 1, 2026

Chipotle Mexican Grill has unveiled the latest edition of its “Behind the Foil” campaign, built entirely from footage shot by 100 content creators inside its restaurants, with no brand-shot footage, traditional director, or production company involved. The campaign represents the first national ad from Chief Brand Officer Fernando Machado since he joined Chipotle, and the chain’s first major work with new agency partner KIDS.

Creators filmed during morning prep at more than 50 Chipotle locations across the U.S., UK and Canada, working alongside crew members preparing the chain’s new Pollo Asado and Chili Lime Chips. Without scripts or shot lists, each creator captured the food prep, grilling chicken, seasoning chips, slicing vegetables, and hand-mashing guacamole in their own style. The shoot produced 345 hours of footage, and the participating creators have a combined following of more than 100 million across social platforms.

“Real today is defined by many voices, not just by what a brand says about itself,” Machado said in a news release. “This is the first time in my career I’ve made a campaign without knowing exactly what the outcome would be. It takes a lot of trust to give up that control, but there’s power in leaving room for the unexpected.”

The roster extends beyond food creators. Potter Emme Zhou made a ceramics piece inspired by Chipotle’s chips and dips, domino artist Lily Hevesh built a sequence around morning prep, stop-motion animator Ben Treat reimagined burrito-building through claymation, and food artist Alissa Teo recreated a steak burrito bowl in rice art.

“We wanted to take the visual language people experience every day in their social feeds and bring it to national television without polishing away what makes it feel credible,” said Icaro Doria, founder and Chief Creative Officer at KIDS, which developed the creative strategy behind the campaign.

The work runs on national television, TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts, with creators sharing the content to their own audiences alongside Chipotle’s channels.

The campaign is Chipotle’s second high-profile creator push in as many weeks. In August, the chain launched a limited-time “Salish Matter Order” built around its Kid’s Cheese Quesadilla, making the 16-year-old YouTuber the youngest creator to land a digital menu item at Chipotle. Both moves land as Chipotle works to rebuild sales momentum; same-store sales rose 2.2% in Q2 2026, the chain’s best performance since late 2024.