Here's How to Get Free Food at Chipotle Tomorrow

This is the last, precious summer weekend for a lot of students, and Chipotle has decided to soften the blow of hitting the books again with free food. Yes, on Saturday, August 18, the Tex-Mex chain is running a special nationwide buy one get one free offer to mark the start of back-to-school season. Students of all ages—and anyone else, really. It's not like they're checking school ID's—will receive a free burrito, burrito bowl, salad, order of tacos, or kids meal with the purchase of an entrée of equal or greater value (as long as they mention the deal at the register).

If it's been a while since you sat in a classroom, and even low-stakes lies make you sweat, you can bypass interacting with a Chipotle employee by redeeming the offer online. Just open the Chipotle app or head to order.chipotle.com, pick two or more qualifying menu items, and enter the code "STUDENT" at checkout.

While this promotion only pertains to Chipotle's classics, the chain has been testing a slew of new menu items (partly as an attempt at image rehab after a string of food-borne illness incidents in recent years). Applewood bacon, which received a positive response when it was served at the Chipotle test kitchen in New York City, is coming to eight locations in Orange County, California this September. “We found consumers added bacon to their traditional bowls, burritos, tacos and nachos while also enjoying new items such as the BLT quesadilla,” Chris Brandt, Chipotle’s chief marketing officer, said in a statement.

And, speaking of nachos, Chipotle's version (corn tortilla chips topped with queso and a choice of meat, beans, salsa, and lettuce) will be available in Denver and Minneapolis-St. Paul in October after a successful ten-restaurant trial. There's still no word on whether other items from the NYC test kitchen, like the avocado tostada (Chiptole's take on avocado toast) or chili-chocolate milkshake are going national just yet, but, fingers crossed.