Food & Drink
Chipotle is playing fast and loose with its portions while prices rise and profits grow, customers say — now, some of them are fighting back.
TikTok comedian Ryan Lynch is one of the most vocal advocates for greater accountability between the popular chain and its army of often younger fans. Lynch went viral earlier this year posting a video poking fun at Chipotle’s penchant for sloppy sizing.
“I want to talk about your portion control at your restaurants, which is causing people to be very frustrated,” Lynch said addressing the chain in his first viral video on the subject.
“And I think we can fix that with one simple change.”
Lynch went on to explain how Chipotle employees dish out food using serving spoons which he insist does not allow for a “consistent serving.”
Instead, the TikToker suggested that the resturants transition to train their employees to scoop the food with measuring cups “because it is consistently going to fill up to the same amount.”
The video has gone viral with 4.8 million views and 19,700 comments as people agreed, complaining about the varying portions and insisting they’re shrinking, all while prices have continued to climb.
The corporate world is taking notice — Lynch was recently interviewed by Ad Age on the subject.
“I truly love Chipotle, but it’s not cheap,” Lynch told the marketing and advertising bible. “I get they want to raise profits by cutting back on portions, but we want consistency, be that measuring cups or weighing.”
This isn’t the first time that customers have slammed the chain, claiming workers are serving smaller portions of worse food for higher prices. Chipotle has continued to increase their revenue and stock prices steadily over the years.
One woman recently took her frustration to the extreme when she threw her burrito bowl in the face of a Chipotle worker claiming the food looked “disgusting” and very different from her previous orders.
The company was founded in 1993 and currently has about 3,250 stores across America.
Despite the passionate complaints, a representative of the company, which began as one store in Denver, Colo., said that there have been no changes to the way they serve their customers and that they had no plans to make any.
“Guests of Chipotle can completely customize their meal in restaurants by vocalizing their desired portions, or digitally selecting extra, light, normal or on the side when choosing from the list of real ingredients,” Laurie Schalow, chief corporate affairs officer at Chipotle, told The Post.
“We have not changed our portion sizes, and we continue to receive praise for the incredible value our entrees offer.”
Experts aren’t so sure the company is doing the right thing by pretending there’s nothing wrong.
“When something touches a nerve like this, brands really do need to respond,” Tim Calkins, clinical professor of marketing at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, said to Ad Age.
“I don’t think anyone is expecting Chipotle to change overnight, but if I were Chipotle, I would acknowledge [Lynch’s] request and look into it. There may be procedural reasons they cannot do it, but authenticity would go a long way here.”
The Post has reached out to Chipotle for comment.
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