How to get free food at Chipotle this Saturday

Chipotle is hoping students and their parents add burritos and tacos to their back-to-school shopping lists.

Apparently hoping to juice its appeal with students, Chipotle Mexican Grill is offering a rare  buy-one-get-one-free deal this Saturday, Aug. 18, at the height of the back-to-school rush.

While the nationwide promotion is geared toward "students of all ages," it's more appropriately for hungry people of all ages: No school ID is required to get a free burrito, burrito bowl, salad, order of tacos or a kids meal with the purchase of an entree.

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"We hope this BOGO will only add to students' back-to-school enthusiasm," said Chris Brandt, Chipotle chief marketing officer, in a statement. BOGO is fast-food industry talk for buy one, get one free.

To get the deal on orders placed at participating restaurants, mention the BOGO deal at the register. For online and app orders, use promo code STUDENT.

There is a limit of one free item per customer.

True Chipotle fans know deals at the fast-casual Mexican chain are few and far between, and have a tendency to be extremely popular.

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Last month's free guacamole promotion for National Avocado Day was such a "record breaking day" that the Chipotle website and app crashed from the volume of customers trying to save a little green. A side of guac is $2.05 at most locations.

Chipotle extended the July 31 deal a day, noting in a statement it "had an unprecedented increase in new digital customers" and "breaking these records also broke the internet."

This time around, there's a potential to save much more money with the cost of a meal averaging around $7 and Chipotle officials say the company's prepared.

"We made the offer available in-store and via digital order to make sure that our student customers could access the BOGO, regardless of how or where they like to order," Chipotle spokeswoman Laurie Schalow said in a statement. "We are confident that our app and website can handle the traffic expected on Saturday."

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