If you're still recovering from last weekend and the thought of making lunch decisions feels like too much, we have genuinely excellent news. Zambrero is giving away free burritos next Wednesday and honestly? The timing couldn't be better.
The Mexican restaurant chain has just hit a pretty massive milestone: 100 million meals donated globally through their Plate4Plate initiative. To celebrate, they're handing out 100,000 free burritos across the world on December 17th, and all 34 Irish locations are taking part.
Here's what you need to know: rock up to any Zambrero in Ireland between 12pm and 2pm next Wednesday and you can grab yourself a free burrito while stocks last. No catch, no small print, just free food during that very specific window when lunch hunger hits hardest.
A loaded burrito makes for a satisfying handheld meal.
The Irish connection
Ireland's been a surprisingly big part of this global achievement. Since the first Zambrero opened on Hatch Street back in 2016, Irish customers alone have contributed five million meals to people in need through the Plate4Plate programme. That's a fairly decent effort for a country of our size.
The way it works is simple enough: every time someone orders a regular or big burrito, bowl, Kids Zam Box or retail item, a meal gets donated to someone who needs it. Working with partners like Rise Against Hunger, Love Mercy Foundation and Foodbank, those donations actually translate into real meals for real people.
Darragh Fanning, General Manager of Zambrero Ireland, said the free burrito day is the chain's biggest global activation to date. "Plate4Plate is a core part of Zambrero and central to the vision created by our founder, Dr Sam Prince. Next Wednesday, we will be giving away free burritos from 12pm to 2pm in all Irish locations to thank our customers for helping us achieve this milestone."
Plus you'll be helping even more
Here's the bit that makes this more than just a freebie: every burrito they hand out on December 17th will result in another meal being donated. So those 100,000 free burritos? They're adding another 100,000 meals to the overall tally.
It's the kind of initiative that makes grabbing lunch feel a bit less guilt-inducing. You get fed, someone else gets fed, everyone wins. The meals donated go through proper distribution networks to reach communities that actually need them, which is more reassuring than vague corporate "giving back" chat.
What to expect on the day
Fair warning: this is probably going to be busy. Free food plus a two-hour window equals queues. If you're working from home that day, you might have better luck than those trying to dash out during their office lunch break.
The "while stocks last" caveat is doing some heavy lifting here too. Get there early if you can, or at least don't leave it until 1:55pm and expect a full selection. Wednesday December 17th is smack in the middle of that weird pre-Christmas week when nobody knows what day it is anyway, so at least you'll have company in the queue.
All 34 Irish locations are participating, so whether you're in Dublin, Cork, Galway or anywhere else with a Zambrero, you're sorted. Just make sure to double check your nearest location's participating before you make the trek.
It's not often that free lunch and doing something vaguely good for the world align this neatly. Mark it in your calendar, set a reminder, tell the group chat. Next Wednesday at lunchtime, burritos are on Zambrero.
