Chipotle Mexican Grill announced that in celebration of Pride month, it is teaming up with activist, TV personality and brand superfan Karamo to host a Lunch & Listen session on Chipotle’s official TikTok channel. The session will take place on Friday, June 26 at 2pm ET featuring TikTok creators in discussion with Karamo about their experiences being prominent voices in the LGBTQ+ community.
For every viewer that tunes into the Lunch & Listen session, Chipotle will donate $1, up to $50,000, to The Center for Black Equity, the national leader in connecting members of the Black LGBTQ+ community with information and resources to educate, engage and empower their fight for equity and access. The brand will also give away a total of 10,000 free burrito codes throughout the stream to encourage its fans to have their own Lunch & Listen sessions with members and allies of the LGBTQ+ community.
“We wanted to transform our TikTok platform into a resource that both celebrates and educates people about Pride,” says Chris Brandt, Chief Marketing Officer. “Authenticity and inclusion are values that guide much of our decision making as a purpose-driven organization.”
On Instagram and Twitter, Chipotle’s employee-driven ‘Love What Makes You Real’ campaign will share individual stories of hope, courage and connection. The campaign celebrates the people who are essential to the business and the values that are essential to them. Chipotle’s P.R.I.D.E. (People Respecting Inclusivity, Diversity and Education) employee resource group, which helps represent and further support the LGBTQ+ community, identified the team members that will be showcased in the campaign.
“The environment you’re surrounded by often dictates your comfort and openness with sharing who you really are,” said Andrew Harris, General Manager of the Chipotle restaurant in Aurora, Colorado. “I’ve never worried about how I identified at Chipotle, or about my transgender career path. I know that I have just as fair an option to succeed as anybody else.”
As a longtime Pride supporter and company that fosters a culture of inclusivity, Chipotle was recognized by Forbes as a ‘Best Employer for Diversity 2020’ as well as a “Best Company” for Diversity and Company Culture by Comparably. Chipotle is committed to providing equal opportunities for success, and empowering employees to be their true selves. Chipotle enables its workforce by investing in the wellbeing of its employees and their families with world-class benefits like access to mental healthcare through Employee Assistance Programs. Further resources include recently enhanced paid parental leave for adoptive parents, same-sex couples, and paternity leave, as well as covered care and surgical services for Transgender employees.
