The Chipotle Revolution

by Joshua Crawley
Johns Creek High School

When the CEO of Chipotle, Brian Nicoll, came out and made a video contradicting Chipotle naysayers, most people didn’t know what to think.

“We always want to give people big portions that get them excited about the food,” he said.

There were trends of people holding up their phone and recording their order, and walking out mid- order if they felt they didn’t get enough food., TikToks also showed people testing the portion difference when ordering food in person versus online pickup. Nicoll said in his video that if you wanted more food, all you had to do was give the employee a little head nod. Many were skeptical and continued to do what they had been doing.

The saga started when Keith Lee, a popular food critic called out Chipotle for serving sizes in a Tiktok video. He complained about his portion of chicken and the quality of food in the rest of the bowl. That prompted many others to come out and call out Chipotle as well and started a revolution.

A few weeks after Lee’s video, a rumor was swirling that if you recorded Chipotle while they made your order, they would give you more food. People flocked to the restaurant to try it and some went to extreme measures to be funny. One man brought in a whole camera crew to stand behind him while he ordered. Some Chipotles eventually started telling people they could not record. They said it was disrespectful to the employees.

Next, people started the walk-out trend. People would leave the restaurant and force Chipotle to throw out the food if they felt they weren’t receiving enough food. This became a viral trend on TikTok, setting the Chipotle revolution in full force. People were unwilling to fork over their money if Chipotle was unwilling to fork over better portions.

Many teenagers had opinions on the portion sizes that contradicted those of adults. Devin Wang, a rising senior from Huntington Beach, California said depending on who he’s with will dictate whether or not he pays. He goes to Chipotle about once a week and likes the restaurant.

“I’m a little disappointed with the protein portions,” he said., “But they’re just trying not to get fired.”

Rising high school freshman Amari Hines of Lawrenceville, Georgia calls himself a “Chipotlean.” He said he goes 3-4 times a week.

“I think they’re pretty consistent with the meat,” he said.

Chipotle will continue to be under heavy scrutiny until they find a solution customers don’t complain about. Some have suggested they get measuring cups so the portions are the same every single time. Regardless, Chipotle continues to make a large profit and continues to run a very successful business. Nicoll feels they are doing a great job.