This Chipotle Ordering Method Can Score You More Protein For Less (If Your Store Plays Along)

For many Chipotle connoisseurs, hacking the system is as much a part of the appeal as any of the specific toppings and flavors. The hacks come and go, but one old standby is pretty simple: ask for your protein on the side instead of directly on the burrito, bowl, or salad. Fans claim the side portion can end up weighing more than a standard scoop dropped onto rice and beans, meaning more meat for the same price.

Portions at Chipotle are technically standardized at about 4 ounces for most protein options, but each ingredient isn't dispensed by weight. The food is served by a human, and humans, famously, will always bring a margin of error to everything we do. This is what social media commentary on the meat-on-the-side method reflects, with some customers saying they've received noticeably fuller portions in side containers, occasionally close to what seems like double what would have landed in the burrito. Whether it works is the luck of the draw, dependent on a number of interlocking variables like how much meat is left in the steam tray, whether you smiled and made eye contact with the employee as you asked, if a manager is hovering, and so on.

The Chipotle worker repeats the action of grabbing meat with tongs and putting it on rice and beans all day long, and they're accustomed to the motion, feel, and look of it. But an aberrant request disrupts the mechanics of that labor. The visual target changes, and therefore can influence the outcome. If your store "plays along," that shift in eyeballed perception can land you with extra meat.

Not every location is going to accommodate the request, and some customers report inconsistent portions regardless of how they order, and the trick has been known to backfire, with some people actually being served less meat. Being kind, limiting the number of hacks you use, and having the situational awareness to clock whether now is the time for the experiment or if there's a line out the door and the workers are sweating bullets while simultaneously running out of product, will probably lead to better results. So keep these tips in mind. It's not a guaranteed loophole, but if you keep these tips in mind and ask nicely, you could be walking away with an extra stuffed burrito.