Chipotle (CMG) recently became a victim of a viral TikTok “hack,” where social media users claimed that they would get larger food portion sizes at the restaurant if they filmed their orders being fulfilled by employees. While Chipotle denied that this hack was true, and insisted that its portion sizes were “generous” at its restaurants, a new study that was conducted by a Wells Fargo analyst has confirmed what customers have suspected all along.
In a study done by Wells Fargo analyst Zachary Fadem, who had analysts visit eight restaurant locations in New York City and order 75 similar burrito-bowl orders, he found that proportion sizes at the Chipotle restaurants varied significantly, according to Barron’s, which obtained the research note.
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Out of all of the orders, the heaviest burrito bowl weighed at 26.8 ounces, and the lightest was 13.8 ounces, according to Fadem. The median weight of all the burrito bowls that were ordered weighed at around 21.5 ounces.
Fadem even said that some of the Chipotle locations served burrito bowls that weighed 33% more than what they received at others. Also, for orders that they made in-person, the heaviest bowls they received weighed 47% more than the lightest ones. For digital orders, the heaviest bowls weighed 87% more than the ones that were smaller.
“While throughput is improving, order consistency remains an opportunity,” said Fadem in the note.
Chipotle’s proportion sizes first started to face controversy in May after a video went viral on TikTok of a customer walking out of a Chipotle store while an employee was making his order due to the employee “skimping on ingredients.”
chipotle is always skimping on the ingredients 🤬🤬🤬 #chipotle#chipotlewalkout
TikTok users later alleged that they would get larger proportion sizes at Chipotle if they filmed the employees making their orders. Some Chipotle employees even claimed that they have been instructed by management to be more generous with food proportion sizes when making orders if they spotted a customer filming them. Chipotle later denied this “hack,” saying that it “did not issue instructions regarding filming.”
Just last week, while speaking at the Wall Street Journal Global Food Forum, Chipotle CEO Steve Ells said that the restaurant has been “quite generous” with proportion sizes, and that he doesn’t understand the recent complaints from customers.
“I’ve never experienced someone walking out of a Chipotle hungry in my 30 some odd years, I mean, it just doesn’t happen,” said Ells at the forum. “So those who complain about portion sizes, I’m not sure I quite get it, but I understand it’s a thing out there.”
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Chipotle also has been facing backlash for its menu prices that have gradually increased over the past few years. According to the Wall Street Journal, Chipotle has hiked its prices six times since 2021. The restaurant even revealed during an earnings call in April that it was raising its menu prices by 6% to 7% at its California locations in response to the state’s increased minimum wage.
Despite the recent controversy, Chipotle is seeing a boost in its earnings. In its first-quarter earnings report for 2024, the company revealed that its revenue increased by 14% year-over-year, while its restaurant sales rose by 7%.
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