Ever noticed a difference in your Chipotle order size from one visit to the next? Turns out, you’re not alone. A recent study spearheaded by Wells Fargo analyst Zachary Fadem has thrown some hard numbers into the ongoing debate about Chipotle’s portion sizes, confirming what many customers have suspected—there’s a real inconsistency in how much you get in your burrito bowl.
This investigation came about after a TikTok “hack” went viral, suggesting that if you film your order being made, Chipotle employees dish out more generous servings. Chipotle was quick to deny these claims, maintaining that their portions are uniformly generous. However, the Wells Fargo study paints a different picture.
Fadem and his team took a deep dive into this by visiting eight Chipotle locations in New York City, placing 75 orders for burrito bowls. The findings? A staggering variance in portion sizes. The heaviest bowl tipped the scales at 26.8 ounces, while the lightest was only 13.8 ounces. On average, bowls weighed about 21.5 ounces, but some locations served up bowls that were 33% heftier than others. The variance was even more pronounced between in-person and digital orders—the largest digital order was 87% heavier than the smallest.