The Major Perk That Makes It Worth Ordering Chipotle In Person

Chipotle's notoriously-inconsistent portion sizes have inspired a viral onslaught of tweets and memes. One Reddit post shows an ultra-tiny Chipotle burrito with the caption, "My disappointment is immeasurable, and my day is ruined." Commenters compare the small burrito size to "an aluminum gerbil." Don't let this be you. Skip the app and order inside — one of over a dozen ordering hacks that Chipotle fans should know.

When ordering in person, you can request more of different ingredients, making certain that you have a sizable portion. This is especially important because, at Chipotle, the issue runs deeper than "I just prefer a little extra sour cream on my burrito bowl." Portion consistency seems to be an ongoing issue for the fast-casual Mexican chain. In 2015, an exposé by The Wall Street Journal revealed that Chipotle employees were trained to scoop smaller portions of certain ingredients (like steak, carnitas, and guacamole) due to their higher cost for the business; low-cost foods like rice and beans acted as filler. 

More recently, another Reddit thread in r/Chipotle addresses the ongoing online-versus-in-person portion issue directly, asking, "Are employees instructed to give smaller portions to online orders? I notice that when I order online for pickup or delivery, I get significantly less food in my bowl than when I go down the assembly line to order." To avoid a half-empty bowl or a deflated tortilla, hopping on queue to request (and survey) each individual ingredient is the best strategy. 

A 2023 Distractify article bore the headline, "Just a Reminder That It's Not All in Your Head, Chipotle Is Awful With Making Online Orders." The piece mentions one viral TikTok that depicts a half-empty burrito bowl and the caption "Gotta do it in person;" the video drew comments from apparent Chipotle employees who admit being trained to give online orders smaller portions than in-store orders. Then, in 2024 — following a barrage of customers taking out their phones, recording workers assembling their orders, and walking out of the restaurant if the portion was too small — Chipotle's former CEO Brian Niccol formally admitted to systematically skimping on portion sizes at select store locations during an earnings call (the skeptics were right).

Unable to beat the allegations, customer fallout, and subsequent shareholder lawsuit, portions slowly-but-surely seem to be restoring to their expected heft. But, ultimately, the fact is that front-facing customer service (especially in the hospitality industry) is stressful. When there's a customer standing directly in front of you who is liable to complain about a scoop of corn salsa that "wasn't quite large enough," chances are that the scoop is just going to be bigger from the jump. In light of Chipotle's "shrinkflation" history, this is one instance in which we're saying "hooray" for conflict avoidance. Order in person and ensure your portion size is up to snuff.