Study reveals there is truth to Chipotle portion size drama

The Chipotle drama has heated up once again after a study carried out by Wells Fargo, a financial services company and bank, found that there are indeed inconsistencies in Chipotle’s portion sizes.

75 burrito bowls were ordered at 8 locations in New York, and although Chipotle higher-ups have sworn that their portion sizes are regulated, the study begs to differ.

The drama came to a head on May 3, 2024 when Keith Lee, a popular food blogger, called out Chipotle on their portion sizes.

This kickstarted a trend where customers recorded Chipotle employees making their meals, and walked out if they felt the portion size was too small.

How the study was carried out

To finally “put the ‘weight debate’ to rest,” Wells Fargo analyst Zachary Fadem and his team bought and weighed 75 burrito bowls. The analysts “studied” burrito bowls from eight different Chipotle locations in New York City, with half the orders placed digitally and the other half in person.

According to the study, the method of ordering doesn’t make a difference, and analysis found that an online order and an in-person order from the same store pretty much always weighed the same. This dispels the rumor that was circulating about ordering in person and giving employees ‘a look’ to get bigger portions.

However, there was one unnamed store in New York that could be worth avoiding, as analysts found that 10 of the lightest burritos all came from the same branch.

In general, portion sizes did vary widely from store to store with in-person orders. The heaviest bowl weighed 47% more than the lightest. The weight varied even more for digital orders, with the heaviest bowl weighing 87% more than the lightest bowl. At 13.8 ounces, the smallest burrito bowl weighed just a little more than the average can of soda. A $13 can of soda…

Chipotle denies portion inconsistencies

The disparity in Chipotle portion sizes has been circulating the internet for a long time, and the phenomenon has become as widespread as the rumor that McDonald’s ice cream machines are always broken.

It has become so widespread in fact, that there is a website where you can track the ‘skimp rate’ at any Chipotle in the country before you visit.

Keith Lee, who has 16.4 million followers on TikTok, made a video that went viral showing him eating a Chipotle burrito bowl and stating that he couldn’t find any of the chicken that he had ordered in the bowl. This came as a big shock to Lee’s fans, as he previously collaborated with Chipotle in 2023 by releasing a quesadilla with the chain Mexican restaurant.

Chipotle has wholeheartedly denied these allegations and another rumor later emerged that the chain had instructed employees to give bigger portions to people recording them, sparking a flurry of videos across social media, especially on TikTok.

On Wednesday, Chipotle founder and former CEO Steve Ells reiterated that the restaurant chain’s portions have not shrunk and insisted that it has, in fact, been “quite generous” with its portion sizes, Quartz reported.

“I’ve never experienced someone walking out of a Chipotle hungry in my 30 some odd years, I mean, it just doesn’t happen,” Ells said at the Wall Street Journal Global Food 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.”

Although Chipotle continues to try and dispel these rumors, the facts of the analysis shows that there is some truth in there.

The outcome

Although the varying bowl sizes may look bad for the chain, Chipotle’s chief corporate affairs officer, Laurie Schalow, said the variability was totally normal because of the handmade nature of Chipotle’s meals.

“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,” Schalow said in a statement to Fortune. 

Keep in mind though that for the study to work, Wells Fargo ordered 85 of the exact same order.

Despite the controversy over portion sizes, Wells Fargo found that Chipotle’s foot traffic continues to increase, aside from a setback last month. The company’s quarter-to-date foot traffic is at its highest level in 10 quarters. So, maybe the ‘there’s no such thing as bad press’ analogy is true after all…

If you want to upgrade your Chipotle burrito, why not try out the TikTok trend of adding a layer of grilled cheese to the outside of your tortilla?