"The Rise And Fall Of Chipotle": People Have Been Calling Out Chipotle For Their Small Portions And Lower Quality, And The CEO's Response Is...Wild

The internet has been in an uproar lately over Chipotle's portion sizes, which many people claim have gotten smaller while prices continue to soar and quality seemingly lowers.

Users all over TikTok and Reddit have been calling out the chain for "skimping" on both portions and quality, including well-known restaurant reviewer Keith Lee, who posted a video in early May reviewing his latest order that's now amassed over 18 million views. "This is out of the ordinary for me," he says. "I used to love Chipotle. Lately, Chipotle have not hit the same."

Keith Lee / Via tiktok.com

Keith then shows the three items he ordered: a steak quesadilla, a chicken al pastor bowl, and crispy chicken tacos. Even though he said the tacos were "solid" and ranked them an 8/10, the bowl and quesadilla didn't elicit the same positive review.

He describes his chicken al pastor bowl as having "no flavor" and mentions it's "freezing cold." The portion of meat was also supposedly disappointing to him. After digging around with his fork, he notes that he only sees "four pieces of chicken, visually." The bowl gets a 2/10 rating from him, and the quesadilla clocks in only slightly higher at 2.5/10 — falling heavily from his previous review of 10/10.

Keith Lee / Via tiktok.com

Almost all 23,000 comments under Keith's video agreed that something has changed with the chain. One user dubbed it "the rise and fall of Chipotle," and another commented that his "calling out Chipotle on their servings was needed." A few mentioned that they no longer eat there and said they "can eat at a sit-down restaurant" for the cost of a burrito or bowl these days.

After Keith's review, people took to TikTok to "boycott" the portion sizes, some walking out mid-order if they thought the employee making their food wasn't giving out hefty enough servings. Others have found that a "hack" to getting more food is taking their phone out and recording the employee making their bowl or burrito. One TikTok user, Big Chops, mentioned in a video that all he did was pull out his phone to check a message, and the Chipotle workers instantly gave each other a "look." "They gave me the biggest servings I have ever seen in years," he said.

One video of the "camera hack" from TikTok user Joe Bonham shows him recording an employee making his bowl with some very generous portions as a way to prove that the hack works. A supposed Chipotle employee commented under his video that their manager told them to "fill up anyone's bowl if they had a phone."

In response to all the controversy, Chipotle's CEO took to TikTok in a video from Fortune to assure everyone that they're not getting skimped. "First, I can tell you the portions have not gotten smaller," he says.

"If you come into the restaurant and want a little more rice or you want a little more pico," he continues, "All you gotta do is kind of like..." He then proceeds to look at the camera, tilt his head, and shrug, suggesting the look will get you the portion you want. "Usually, our guys and women will give them a little more scoop," he says.

Fortune Magazine / Via tiktok.com

After teaching us about "the look," he doubles down on the portion sizes. "We always want to give people big portions that get them excited about the food...I mean, these are big burritos. These are big bowls," he says. The video has now been seen almost 15 million times, and naturally, the comment section is having an absolute field day. "I'm taking this video to Chipotle," one user wrote.

Most people, though, are fixated on the "shrug" we should be giving to employees for bigger portions.

And, of course, the parodies are already flowing. Mackenzie Barmen's video imitating the CEO's words has gained over 21 million views, with commenters agreeing that she absolutely nailed it, from the "and our women" bit to the "shrug."

Anyway, here's a closer look at the "shrug," just so we can all study up for our next Chipotle visit.