Chipotle and The Art of the Two-Minute Read

People who say they don’t have time to read have one less excuse today. Chipotle, the fresh food fast-casual restaurant chain, is launching an easy and intriguing way to get people reading. They are putting short stories and essays on their cups and bags. The two-minute reads have some stellar contributors, too, an eclectic mix of heavy hitters and pop culture favorites, from Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison to “Saturday Night Live” funnyman Bill Hader.

“These stories are meant to entertain customers while exposing them to some of the most creative and influential people of our time,” Chipotle said in a press release announcing the venture.

I’m more of a Moe’s Southwest Grill type of gal, but this is a great way to get people reading and I’m all for that. Kudos to Chipotle!

Here from the company’s press release is the list of writers participating in the “Cultivating Thought” series:

Jonathan Safran Foer – series curator and author of “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close,” “Eating Animals” and “Everything is Illuminated”

Judd Apatow – Golden Globe nominated writer/director/producer, “This is 40,” “Bridesmaids” and “Girls”

Sheri Fink – Pulitzer-prize winning reporter/author, “Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital”

Malcolm Gladwell – New York Times best-selling author, journalist and speaker, author of “The Tipping Point,” “Outliers” and “Blink”

Bill Hader – Emmy-winning comedian/actor/producer, “Saturday Night Live” and “South Park”

Michael Lewis – New York Times best-selling author and journalist, “Flash Boys,” “The Blind Side” and “Moneyball”

Toni Morrison – Pulitzer and Nobel Prize winning author of “Beloved”

Steve Pinker – award-winning experimental psychologist, renowned writer on language, mind and human nature

George Saunders – New York Times best-selling short-story and essay author, “Tenth of December,” “The Braindead Megaphone”

Sarah Silverman – Emmy-winning actress/comedian, “The Sarah Silverman Program,” “Saturday Night Live” and “School of Rock”

Read the complete Chipotle corporate press release here. 

And check out an interview with Foer about the venture in Vanity Fair.