Chipotle is standing by its portion sizes amid allegations on TikTok that the fast-casual restaurant chain has reduced the amount of food it offers customers.
In a statement to PEOPLE, Laurie Schalow — Chipotle’s chief corporate affairs and food safety officer — said that “there have been no changes to [the company’s] portion sizes.”
She also noted that customers can, and have always been able to, request more or less food while preparing their meal.
“Our intentions are to provide a great experience every time, and our meals have always been fully customizable so that guests can vocalize or digitally select their desired portions when choosing from a list of real ingredients,” she said.
Complaints against Chipotle really took off when TikTok star and food critic Keith Lee posted on May 2 about his own experience at the grocery chain.
Photo of chicken food bowl.
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Lee — who is best known on TikTok for his candid food reviews and has helped local businesses and major food chains go viral online — is not only a longtime fan of Chipotle, but was also behind the viral Fajita Quesadilla Hack 2022 with fellow TikTok fast food reviewer Alexis Frost. The hack became so popular that in 2023, Chipotle eventually made the “Fajita Quesadilla Hack” an official online menu item. “I never imagined I would have my own menu item at Chipotle,” Lee said in a press release about the new item. “I’m blessed to be working with Alexis and Chipotle to answer the call of the TikTok community.” In his updated review on TikTok, Lee said he “used to love Chipotle,” but in his opinion, the food “doesn’t feel the same” as it did before.
He specifically reviewed three of his most important items, including the steak quesadilla, the chicken al pastor bowl, and the crispy tortilla chicken tacos. Lee ended up giving the chicken and quesadilla bowl a low rating compared to the cold food and small portions of chicken he got in the bowl.
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After Lee’s review, other TikTok users started their own campaign to get Chipotle to change its portion sizes by “review bombarding” the restaurant’s app. They even filmed themselves walking out of the store mid-order when they were getting smaller portions, which turned into an ongoing trend.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Since this movement to reject Chipotle’s portion sizes began, some TikTok users have shared that they’re noticing larger portions in their recent orders.
Alleged Chipotle employees also claim that their managers are now instructing them to “fill someone’s bowl if they have a phone”. Schalow confirmed with PEOPLE that “we have stepped up proper portioning with our employees.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education