Free Burritos at Crystal City California Tortilla

by Katie Pyzyk October 3, 2012 at 9:30 am 4,644 23 Comments

California Tortilla (2450 Crystal Drive) in Crystal City may be making your decision about what to have for lunch a little easier. The restaurant is celebrating its opening by giving away free burritos today.

Earlier this week, the chain tweeted about the deal, which will run from 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. and from 5:00-8:00 p.m. Customers receive one free burrito and drink, and the first 20 people in line get free burritos for a year.

Work has been ongoing all summer to ready the Bethesda chain’s newest restaurant. The Crystal City location is the third in Arlington.

If you’re thinking of showing up to quickly grab a burrito and run, be warned that you’re not alone. According to California Tortilla’s Twitter account, the first person to start camping out for a free burrito got there at 1:00 a.m.

Photo via @caltort on Twitter

WeiQiang

great … fatness is an elevator ride away
- D’oh
  
  Sure you don’t want to drive?
SouthernPrincess

Really….camping out at 1 am?? It is not that serious.
- Swag
  
  A year of free food is serious for a lot of people.
BreakPause02

Great, now can they fix the food at the Courthouse location?

It is terrible compared to other locations.
- Drunk_IrishChick
  
  Courthouse Location is Nasty, unless u like the Green Apple Splatters
  - BrianKal
    
    I agree, that location went downhill recently and quick. I’ve contacted corporate and they claim nothing is wrong.
    - Soggy
      
      I don’t know if this is Clarendon specific but if I get hard tacos to go, by the time I get home they are completely soggy and falling apart.
AlexandriaMegg

If I was a homeless person I would sit out there all night waiting to get free burritos for a year!
Buckwheat

All part of the Administration’s new hydrocarbon energy policy! Something has to “make wind” for those new wind turbine generators.
- Vent Frais Souffle
  
  Then there’s, well … you know … the sky.
Becoming indifferent

Who in their right mind would wait that long for a burrito from there? Their food pales in comparison to Chipotle or Baja Fresh.
- drax
  
  Heck, they’ll wait all night for an Apple, why not a burrito?
- Soggy
  
  Baja Fresh? Ew, I wish that place would fail and something better would replace it.
GodFila

They are also offering free copies of the Wall Street
Journal for your post burrito reading pleasure.
CrystalMikey

Check out the crowds when a Chickfila is opening. This is nothing in comparison.
- SomeGuy
  
  Or consider the d-bags who wait in line for days for a new Apple device.
  - WeiQiang
    
    crazy. just order one on-line.
    - CrystalMikey
      
      this.
      - Neve
        
        Pretty sure CalTort isn’t doing online orders yet.
Cyrus

In related news, there was a gas leak not far from the new California Tortilla location….
South Awwlington

I’ll be there, wearing my ARLnow name badge. Why don’t the rest follow suit this evening. I would LOVE to meet some of you…others, NSM. 😉
Good Job

I went today and the wait wasn’t too bad, 25 minutes. They gave away free Nantucket nectars to everyone in line and coupons for free tacos for a later visit. They were running a very good operation in there, very well trained and accurate. Nothing like the Good Stuff opening down the street a few months back, that was a train wreck (good food, bad execution of the opening). Anyway, the burritos were good and they have that fancy new touch screen soda machine were you can pick any flavor you want. I’ll be back and am super excited it’s in my office building.

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