Chipotle Mexican Grill has announced that it will bring back its limited-time Smoked Brisket to restaurants across the U.S. and Canada on November 5. The launch is backed by a campaign featuring food creators Max Greb and Newton Nguyen and reality star Carl Schmidt, who were invited into Chipotle kitchens to see how the protein is prepared.

The company said that the brisket has a history of selling out earlier than anticipated. It returns for what Chipotle described as football weekends, rivalry games, and watch parties.

“Bringing it back in the heart of football season gives fans one more reason to make Chipotle part of their game-day lineup,” said Stephanie Perdue, Senior Vice President, Brand Marketing, in the announcement.

The Product and Promotion

Chipotle makes the brisket with Responsibly Raised beef, which it says requires cattle to be raised on a strictly vegetarian diet, without added growth hormones or routine antibiotics, and with traceability to the ranch of origin. The company estimates that roughly 5% of U.S. beef meets those standards.

The beef is seasoned with spices including smoked serrano and chipotle chili peppers, then smoked over mesquite wood. In restaurants, team members sear it on the plancha, finish it with spices, toss it in a sauce made with smoky chili peppers, and hand-chop it in small batches throughout the day.

From Nov. 5 through Nov. 18, Chipotle will waive delivery fees on orders of at least $10 USD or $12 CAD containing a Smoked Brisket entrée, placed through the Chipotle app or website at participating locations. The offer excludes third-party delivery platforms, catering, and Burritos by the Box orders. Higher menu prices are charged for delivery, and additional service and other fees apply at checkout except in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota and Virginia.

Creators in the Kitchen

The new creative, developed with agency partner KIDS, follows brisket fans as they join Chipotle team members in the kitchen to prepare the protein. The fans capture the experience from their own perspectives. Chipotle said it builds on its “100 Creators” campaign, which launched in August.

That campaign, the latest edition of “Behind the Foil,” was built entirely from footage shot by 100 creators inside Chipotle restaurants, with no brand-shot footage, traditional director, or production company involved. Creators filmed during morning prep at more than 50 locations across the U.S., the UK, and Canada, producing 345 hours of footage. The participating creators have a combined following of more than 100 million. It was the first national ad from Chief Brand Officer Fernando Machado since he joined Chipotle, and the chain’s first major work with KIDS.

“This is the first time in my career I’ve made a campaign without knowing exactly what the outcome would be,” Machado said at the time. “It takes a lot of trust to give up that control, but there’s power in leaving room for the unexpected.”

A Season of Creator Work

The brisket campaign follows several creator-led efforts from Chipotle this year. In August, the chain launched a limited-time “Salish Matter Order” built around its Kid’s Cheese Quesadilla with 16-year-old YouTuber Salish Matter. On Sept. 28, it introduced the Pokimane Pollo Asado and Steak Bowl, an online-only item that ran through Oct. 12.

Chipotle has said it does not treat units sold as the primary measure of those collaborations. Scott Robinson, Director of Brand Marketing, told GamesBeat the company focuses on the social conversation a partnership generates and how many guests are inspired to try the order.

The activity comes as Chipotle works to rebuild sales momentum. Same-store sales rose 2.2% in the second quarter of 2026, the chain’s best performance since late 2024.

Chipotle operates more than 4,200 restaurants across the U.S., Canada, the UK, France, Germany, and the Middle East.

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