Chipotle Is Ready For Their Close Up, Sponsoring Film Events All Over the Place

Steph,

Please forgive my complainy ways. I'm college-trained in Public Relations. Sometimes that field can bring good. Sometimes it just manipulates people for the sake of corporate profits.

When I read a published piece like this, I see the press release in my head and even the meetings and planning that took place to produce the press release. Clumsy and transparent. The article represents a gullible hooked-fish reporter who either couldn't find something inspired to write, or really thought the topic of the press release was newsworthy.

The goal of PR campaigns like this? Connect a national chain restaurant with the locals. Build a relationship with them by acting as a supporter of their scene. And most Austinist readers (mathew excluded) are smart enough to simply barge in for the free ticket and continue patronizing our homegrown burrito stands like Freebirds and El Chilito.

I dig the Austinist because of the arts & entertainment writing. I appreciate this site drawing my attention to the screening of the Garden at the Alamo earlier this week. During that visit, I noticed the $3.50 soft drinks now are backed with free refills! Hooray for the Alamo. Perhaps a decision influenced by incessant internet complaining?

Keep up the inspired writing, Steph. That's why I click on my Austinist bookmark.

Seth

Seth, you are an idiot.

Seth, your comments make me so mad sometimes, but I do appreciate that you still read/comment frequently, so take the following as non-confrontationally as possible.

I find no fault in informing people about things that are going on in Austin that benefit an Austin theater. Perhaps some of the people who go into Chipotle today didn't know about the Summer Film Series. Perhaps they will go and see a film at the gorgeous Paramount and bring along friends who will buy tickets with money. Perhaps they will all enjoy the experience so much that they will go back again and spend more money at the Paramount. Perhaps they will tell all their coworkers how cool the ceiling is and how they too should go see a movie there. I will always support anything that will bring more people into the Paramount and keep it alive.

Also, you say that the tickets aren't that expensive, but what is wrong with the end result of this being that, in effect, you pay $3.50 for a burrito and $3.50 for a movie ticket? Either one you wouldn't normally get for free, but at least this way you economize. Again, I find no fault here.

Would you feel the same way if a local eatery was handing out the tickets? What if that eatery charged more than you would like to pay for a soda?

Also, it can't be "advertorial" if Austinist has absolutely no interest in whether or not people who read this participate. I wasn't paid to write this, nor have I been paid to write anything in the 2.5 years I've been involved with Austinist. I like movies, I like going to the movies, and I like telling people about the movie things that I am going to go to. And I typically pay for every event that I go to, even though I know I could get in free if I asked, because I am happy to support our local movie houses (not gonna lie, I have received a free movie at the Paramount once, but they insisted). Crazy, isn't it?!

Only a true idiot would still not know that Chipotle is not owned by Mcdonalds. They've been golden arches free for several years. Of course, Seth, you've been on a tear lately to win the award of biggest jackass around these parts, so I guess we shouldn't expect anything less.

Steph,

Please hold off on posting promotions like this as content. Playing hard-to-get, you might have gotten the McDonalds-owned national chain restaurant to buy the adspace. Or did they pay for this advertorial?

The tickets to the Paramount Summer Film series aren't that expensive. At $7.00, they're cheaper than first-run movies at other theaters. If people buy lunch at Chipoltle in the hopes of getting one of the free tickets, they're paying approximately the cost of the ticket for the meal.

Seth

Must be a conspiracy between the money-hungry, greedy millionaire owners of the Paramount and Austinist and evil corporate Chipotle. Just like with the Alamo "cashing in" on Michael Jackson!