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Chipotle is under scrutiny from customers who accuse the chain of being stingy with portion sizes.
A new trend has even emerged on social media: Customers are filming themselves ordering from the fast-casual chain to encourage Chipotle employees to give them full bowls.
Related: Chipotle's robots can make nearly 200 burrito bowls per hour
Now a group of Wells Fargo analysts have decided to end the debate – by ordering 75 of the same bowls from eight different Chipotle stores in New York.
Incredible feat by Wells Fargo analyst who ordered the same burrito bowl 75 times at eight different NYC Chipotles to prove portion size inconsistency ? pic.twitter.com/gUHPhgY7Pw
— Tanay Jaipuria (@tanayj) June 27, 2024
Led by analyst Zachary Fadem, the group of financial experts ordered 75 bowls of white rice, black beans, chicken, pico de gallo, cheese and salad.
Not surprisingly, the results showed that portion sizes and bowl weights varied considerably.
The average weight of the bowls was 21.5 ounces. Some places offered the bowl at a whopping 27 ounces, while another weighed just 14 ounces – all from the same menu and prepared the same way.
“Consistency varied widely, with some locations serving bowls that weighed approximately 33% more than other locations (for equivalent orders); and the heaviest digital/in-store bowls weighed 87%/47% more than the lightest,” Fadem reported. “While throughput is improving, order consistency remains an opportunity.”
In May, Chipotle CEO Brian Niccol denied in an interview with Fortune that portion sizes had decreased.
“The portions haven't gotten smaller,” Niccol is sure. “We always want to offer people large portions that make them want to eat.”
Related: Chipotle introduces new perks to attract Gen Z workers
Chipotle had a strong first quarter of 2024 with total revenue of $2.7 billion, up 14% from the same period last year. The chain also opened 47 new restaurants during the quarter.
Chipotle did not immediately respond to Entrepreneur's request for comment on the variability in portion sizes.
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