Recently, Chipotle customers have complained that their bowls and burritos aren’t as full as they once were.
This had been a complaint largely related to delivery and pick-up orders. Internet users had previously gone viral after noting pitiful portions from online orders, with one user even claiming to have paid almost $10 for a bowl that contained only a small amount of food.
Now, users are saying they’re receiving small portions during in-person orders—and they’re not thrilled about it. After one user walked out upon being charged for “quadruple chicken” upon receiving just 2 scoops of protein, others felt more comfortable following suit. Some customers have begun ordering from Chipotle, seeing their portion sizes, and simply leaving the restaurant before their order is completed.
After another customer posted about this, TikTok users began to question whether portion sizes were really getting smaller. While the company’s CFO Jack Hartung insisted that they weren’t back in 2023, saying explicitly in an interview that “portion sizes are not getting smaller,” many customers disagree.
And now, one former employee is spilling the beans, rice, and queso about why this might be happening.
In a clip with over 118,000 views, TikTok user Nelly (@nellymichelle._) says that, in her experience, the problem lies not with employees, but managers.
“I remember when I used to work at Chipotle…they got mad as f*ck at me because I would load them sh*ts up,” she says.
Nelly goes on to say that the only time she would “skimp” on ingredients is when she did not have enough of the ingredients to properly complete an order. Her hefty scoops led to significant dissatisfaction from management.
“I remember I got in trouble one time because I added a handful of f*cking cheese for an order that asked for extra cheese,” she details. “And that motherf***ing manager, bro, he said, ‘No, if it asks for extra cheese, you put two pinches.’ The f*ck I’m gonna do with two f*cking pinches of cheese if they ordered extra cheese? Like, who the f*ck?”
“These managers used to complain about portions like it was coming out of their paycheck or whatever,” she summarizes. In the caption, she adds, “I hated working there it was always about the portions and i hated robbing people of their food.”
@nellymichelle._ #stitch with @Seans_lif3 I hated working there it was always about the portions and i hated robbing people of their food like tf 😭😭 #chipotle ♬ original sound – Nelly 😘
Commenters agreed with Nelly’s dissatisfaction with smaller portions.
“The manager should do the line to know how people feel about the potions they get,” said a user.
“Same!! My manager told me to assume everyone would ask for extra, so the first scoop had to be small,” detailed another.
“Yeah my coworkers used to be like ‘You need to give less,’” recalled a third. “I’m filling these people up!”
The Daily Dot reached out to Chipotle via email and Nelly via TikTok comment.
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