Portion sizes at Chipotle Mexican Grill can vary dramatically from one location to another, an experiment by Wells Fargo analysts has found, lending credence to the “weight debate” that has stirred up negative attention for the restaurant chain online.
First noticed by TikTok users and online food reviewers, Chipotle’s popular burritos and bowls seem to be getting steadily smaller with every passing month, with irate customers attributing the skimpy portions to corporate greed, lazy employees, and “shrinkflation.” Among the most damaging videos for the Chipotle brand was a review from food influencer Keith Lee, who posted footage of himself searching for chicken in a burrito bowl. Lee ultimately found just four pieces, describing them as cold and flavorless, and the video racked up 2.2 million views.
This gave rise to what social media users have dubbed “the Chipotle phone method,” which involves filming restaurant workers as they assemble orders behind the counter. Customers say this trend holds employees accountable for the amount of food they provide; employees have called it “stressful and dehumanizing.”
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A rebuttal from Chipotle CEO Brian Niccol denied all claims of decreasing portion sizes, insisting that customers who want more food simply need to ask for an extra scoop (provided they’re willing to pay for it).
“The portions have not gotten smaller,” he told Fortune. “We always want to give people big portions that get them excited about the food.”
@fortune Chipotle CEO: Our portion sizes aren’t getting smaller—but you can get more rice or pico by giving a look. #chipotle #chipotleportions #chipotleorder #ceo #portionsizes #business #businesstiktok #businesstok #food #foodie #foodtok #restaurant #fastfood #mexicanfood #burrito #dinner #eat #news #chipotlehacks ♬ original sound – Fortune Magazine
In order to officially establish what’s going on behind the counter, Wells Fargo analyst Zachary Fadem undertook a formal study of his local Chipotle locations…and his findings have called Niccol’s assessment into question.
Fadem and his team ordered 75 identical burrito bowls—white rice, black beans, chicken, pico de gallo, cheese, and lettuce—from eight Chipotle locations throughout New York City. The bowls were taken back to the local Wells Fargo office for analysis (and were then shared with fellow employees for lunch). According to the findings, bowls ordered online weighed roughly the same as those ordered in-store, but some locations provided up to 33 percent more food than others. The median weight for a bowl was 21.5 ounces, with outliers at the extremes weighing as little as 13.8 ounces and as much as 26.8 ounces—a difference of 87 percent!
“While throughput is improving, order consistency remains an opportunity,” a report from Fadem read.
Related: Chipotle Tests Robot that Can Assemble Burrito Bowls and Salads
“Similar to others in the fast casual industry, our completely customizable meals may have variability in their size or weight depending upon the number of ingredients a guest selects or if they choose to make an ingredient extra or light when ordering from our list of real ingredients in-person or digitally,” a Chipotle spokesperson said following the analysis. “There have been no changes in our portion sizes, and we aim to provide a great guest experience every time.”
Despite the complaints on social media, Chipotle ended the last quarter up 7 percent, outpacing rivals in the fast food business. The “weight debate” also had little effect on the company’s historic 50-to-1 stock split last week, which capped off a five-year stock surge of 350 percent. As of Monday, Chipotle was valued at $83.2 billion, with stocks trading at $60.58.
Connor Walcott is a staff writer for Valuetainment.com. Follow Connor on X and look for him on VT’s “The Unusual Suspects.”
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