Chipotle burrito bowl portion claims put to the test

(NEXSTAR) – With Chipotle successful the crosshairs of dissatisfied contented creators and customers complaining astir the size of their meals, a Wall Street expert decided to enactment the "weight debate" to a test.

Wells Fargo's Zachary Fadem and his squad made 75 identical burrito vessel orders dispersed implicit 8 antithetic Chipotle locations successful New York City, according to Barron's, and recovered a sizable scope erstwhile it came to however overmuch each repast weighed.

Fadem reported that determination wasn't a large quality betwixt in-store and integer orders, but wide helium said "consistency varied widely" with immoderate locations dishing retired acold fuller bowls than others, contempt the orders being the same.

Entrepreneur reports that Fadem's bid consisted of achromatic rice, achromatic beans, chicken, pico de gallo, food and lettuce.

The mean value was 21.5 ounces, but the heaviest was 26.8 ounces, with the lightest weighing conscionable 13.8 ounces, Fadem said.

In effect to Fadem's report, Chipotle told Nexstar that determination had been nary changes to information sizes, saying successful a statement:

Similar to others successful the accelerated casual industry, our wholly customizable meals whitethorn person variability successful their size oregon value depending upon the fig of ingredients a impermanent selects oregon if they take to marque an constituent other oregon airy erstwhile ordering from our database of existent ingredients in-person oregon digitally. There person been nary changes successful our information sizes, and we purpose to supply a large impermanent acquisition each time.

Laurie Schalow, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Chipotle

Fadem appeared to disagree, applauding the locations for improved efficiency, but adding "order consistency remains an opportunity."

Many connected societal media applauded Fadem's report, adjacent calling for a "conference for this benignant of 'pedestrian' probe that really impacts people's lives," portion others conscionable wanted a representation showing the locations that were "hooking it up."

In caller months, complaints astir alleged information inconsistency person surged online, with 1 TikTok influencer named Keith Lee, whose ain quesadilla "hack" was adjacent added to Chipotle menus, calling retired the institution successful a widely-viewed video.

"Where's the chicken?" Lee asks portion combing done the "freezing cold" burrito bowl.

The online backlash forced Chipotle CEO Brian Niccol to code the contented publically successful a May interrogation with Fortune, saying that "portions person not gotten smaller." He besides suggested that customers tin simply springiness their server a look — which helium demonstrated — if they "want a small much rice" oregon "want a small much pico."

"And usually our guys, and women, springiness [customers] a small much scoop," Niccol said.

Niccol did, however, marque it wide that "if you privation treble the magnitude of meat, you'll person to wage for it."

Nexstar's Ashleigh Jackson contributed to this report.