Chipotle turns viral TikTok food hack into a new quesadilla menu item

• Starting March 2, Chipotle is allowing customers to add fajita veggies to any quesadilla.
• The chain's honey vinaigrette dressing will also be available as a side option for all quesadillas.

Chipotle is turning a quesadilla menu hack popularized by two TikTok creators into a new menu offering starting March 2.

The permanent new menu item, the Fajita Quesadilla, will be available through Chipotle's app or website. Fajitas, a standard Chipotle topping, were previously not an option when ordering quesadillas. Chipotle said customers can also add honey vinaigrette dressing as a side option for all quesadillas starting in March.

The fast-casual chain said it was prompted to create the Fajita Quesadilla after TikTok creators Alexis Frost and Keith Lee posted videos about their Chipotle hacks in late December 2022.

Frost showed her 2.4 million followers how she ordered "what employees would order" as she bit into a steak quesadilla made with extra cheese and stuffed with fajitas topping. She said it was like eating a Philly cheesesteak.

Inspired by Frost, Lee posted a similar video but added his own twist. Frost, who has 10.7 million TikTok followers, dipped the quesadilla in the chain's honey vinaigrette dressing. He then tried another savory hack – he mixed the dressing with sour cream to create a "Chipotle Ranch" dipping sauce for the quesadilla.

The sauce mashup prompted Lee to give the meal hack a "10 out of 10" rating.

"The entire platform took notice," Chipotle said.

In the following weeks, "we saw an influx of guests trying to add fajita veggies to their quesadillas after Alexis and Keith's TikToks went live," the chain told Insider.

Chipotle said it "saw more than 30.6 million views, 3.7 million likes, 47,200 comments, and 69,500 shares of viral TikTok content about the Steak Quesadilla with Fajita Veggies."

But, it "posed a challenge for Chipotle" as it wasn't an official menu item, the chain said.

Chipotle, which debuted the customizable quesadilla as a digital-only menu item in March 2021, said it had to quickly mobilize to update its digital ordering system at about 3,200 restaurants to accommodate the demand for the new quesadilla options.

The five new permanent quesadilla versions include the steak quesadilla with fajita veggies, the chicken quesadilla with fajita veggies, the barbacoa quesadilla with fajita veggies, the carnitas quesadilla with fajita veggies, and sofritas quesadilla with fajita veggies.

As an added treat for Frost and Lee fans, Chipotle is offering their original meal hacks for a limited time through the chain's digital ordering channels.

The "Keithadilla" is a fajita quesadilla with steak served with roasted chili-corn salsa, sour cream, and honey vinaigrette on the side. The "Fajita Quesadilla Hack," inspired by Frost, is a fajita quesadilla with steak served with roasted chili-corn salsa, tomatillo red-chili salsa, and sour cream on the side.

The average cost of a quesadilla ranges from $9.50 to $11.25. Prices vary by protein choice and restaurant location.