Can Chipotle Regain Its Reputation for Big Portions?

Addressing a social media uproar over skimpy servings, Chipotle said it has recommitted to “generous portions” while admitting that some of its locations were shortchanging customers.

“There was never a directive to provide less to our customers,” said Brian Niccol, chairman and CEO, last week on the Mexican chain’s second-quarter analyst call. “‘Generous portion’ is a core brand equity of Chipotle. It always has been, and it always will be.”

The social media backlash erupted after online food critic and former Chipotle collaborator, Keith Lee, with more than 16 million followers on TikTok, in a May 3 video gave disappointing reviews for a Chipotle bowl and a quesadilla, particularly calling out the small portions.

“Where the chicken at?” he said. “This is how you know I’m not lying. I’m literally looking for a piece of chicken.”

Other brands have also been chastised on social media in recent years for shrinkflation, or the practice of reducing package sizes but charging the same price. Many social media comments noted that Chipotle had already hiked prices in recent years amid inflationary pressures.

“You remember peak Chipotle. You know how they used to load those bowls up,” TikTok content creator Drew Polenske, with more than 2.5 million followers, said in a May 3 video. “They would give you enough food to feed a small village. And now I’ll walk into Chipotle, I’ll get three grains of rice and a piece of chicken if I’m lucky. I can’t do it anymore.”

Frustrated customers encouraged others to walk out without paying if their food portions were unsatisfactory or to boycott the chain altogether. Some left one-star reviews on Chipotle’s app.

The commotion further fed a viral “Camera Trick” challenge that saw TikTokers recording Chipotle employees serving food to ensure greater portions. Some claimed they got bigger meals when they filmed workers putting their orders together.

Analysts at Wells Fargo also ordered and weighed 75 identical burrito bowls from eight Chipotle locations in New York City and found portions “varied widely.” Some locations sold bowls with identical orders that weighed roughly 33% more than other outlets.

In response, Chipotle in recent months has undergone a press blitz, including talking to USA Today and People Magazine, denying accusations that customers are getting significantly smaller portions.

On the analyst call, Niccol also admitted the backlash prompted some soul-searching. An internal investigation based on consumer surveys found about 10% of its roughly 3,500 restaurants were “outliers” when it came to serving portions and needed to be retrained to the “right standards.”

“We have also leaned in and reemphasized generous portions across all of our restaurants, as it is a core brand equity of Chipotle,” added Niccol. “Our guests expect this now more than ever, and we are committed to making this investment to reinforce that Chipotle stands for a generous amount of delicious, fresh food at fair prices for every customer, every visit.”

He said the company is already beginning to see those actions “positively reflected” in consumer scores.

The investment comes at a real cost as CFO Jack Hartung said part of Chipotle’s higher cost of sales in the most recent quarter was due to ensuring “correct and generous portions” at outlier restaurants. The investments will continue to some degree going forward.

“We decided that this brand equity called Generous Portions is something that we don’t want to take for granted,” Hartung told analysts. “We don’t want to take something that’s been a positive for all these years and then have it turn out to be a negative because of some of the social media comments.”

Portion complaints aside, Chipotle’s quarterly earnings and revenue topped analysts’ expectations, with comparable-store sales ahead 11.1%. The outperformance was attributed to faster service and the return of the Chicken Al Pastor to its menu for a limited time.