2020 has finally brought some good news—at least to Chipotle fans and loyalists. The chain is bringing back their Carne Asada meat option for a limited time.

In a press release, the company announced they were bringing the premium steak option back to their U.S. restaurants for a limited time, and that it would also return to Canadian menus as well. The meat was also going to be the first new protein to be introduced to the European market, with a planned debut in restaurants in France.

Rewards members will be the first to get exclusive access to the protein, by ordering via the app and website on Sept. 22 and 23. Starting on Sept. 24 and going until the 27th, it will be available for everyone as a digital-only menu item. It will then be available in restaurants and through third-party delivery services like Door Dash and Uber Eats beginning on Sept. 28.

The protein, which was initially introduced in 2019 and removed from menus earlier this year is coming back after the company underwent a vetting process in order to meet their strict sourcing standards—something that only 5% of U.S. Beef meets.

“To bring back Carne Asada to our menu, we underwent an extensive vetting process to find more suppliers that meet our stringent Food with Integrity standards,” Chris Brandt, Chief Marketing Officer said. “Our fans love our Carne Asada because they can taste the care and culinary expertise that goes into this recipe from farm to bowl.”

The return of Carne Asada to the menu is only one of the innovative ways the company has been working to keep loyal fans coming back for more during the pandemic. In August, the company briefly held a Chipotle IQ Test game online for fans, which awarded 250,000 players with a Buy One, Get One offer.

Of course, the company is one of the few that didn’t necessarily suffer financially during the pandemic. MarketWatch reported in April that the company’s first-quarter saw an online sales surge of 81% during the beginning of the pandemic.

Chipotle customers
Customers enter a Chipotle restaurant in Chicago. The fast food chain is set to open a number of mobile app drive-thru locations, according to its CEO. Scott Olson/Getty Images
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