What is behind TikTok’s beef with Chipotle Mexican Grill?

UNITED STATES – When Chipotle Mexican Grill started rolling out across the United States more than two decades ago, food writers were astonished at the restaurant’s portion sizes.

“Behemoth California creations,” The New York Times wrote in 2003 of the chain’s signature offering, the burrito.

So big that “it takes a little practice to handle one”, went a 2002 article in The Washington Post, which compared the size of a Chipotle burrito with that of a human head.

But times have changed, and so have the critics – they are all on social media.

Now, a crop of young customers insists they are not getting enough food in their orders, and they are whipping out their phones to prove it.

Over the past month, TikTok users have devised a variety of viral tactics to protest what they say are skimpy portions from a chain known for dispensing guacamole-covered mountains of carbs and protein.

These include walking out of the restaurant without paying if they feel they have been short-changed, and filming workers under the theory that surveillance leads to more rice, beans and steak.

Their claims are anecdotal and occasionally conspiratorial. But they are widespread enough that Chipotle has felt compelled to respond.

“There have been no changes in our portion sizes, and we have reinforced proper portioning with our employees,” Ms Laurie Schalow, the company’s chief of corporate affairs and food safety, said in a statement.

On May 3, TikTok food critic Keith Lee published a review of Chipotle to his 16 million followers, in which he estimated that his US$12 (S$16) bowl included only “four pieces of chicken, visually”.

The same day, influencer Drew Polenske announced a plan on TikTok to increase portion sizes: flooding the Chipotle app with bad ratings.

“It needs to change,” he said in the video, which has been viewed nearly two million times.

A week later, he encouraged his followers to walk out of restaurants if the portions were not big enough.

One dissatisfied customer was Mr Isaac Francis, a 25-year-old model and influencer in Los Angeles, who said he had relied on Chipotle for many years to provide what he called “a very nutrient-dense meal for not a lot of money”.

But in recent months, he said, he had noticed that he was getting smaller portions at his favourite Chipotle location in Hollywood.

At the same time, prices had gone up. In October, the chain told USA Today that it had raised prices for the fourth time in two years.

“If the price goes up, the portions ideally should go up as well,” the model said.

Motivated by other TikTok videos, he decided to join in on what he called “the peaceful protest”. On May 18, he walked into his Chipotle, filming, and asked for a bowl to go.

When he believed the worker had not given him enough beans, Mr Francis said “appreciate you, bro”, left the bowl behind and walked out without paying.

The video, which is captioned “couldn’t let him disrespect me with the protein”, has received more than 114,000 “likes”.

While influencers say they are fighting for consumers, others feel their videos are punishing the counter workers at Chipotle, who are paid an average of US$17 an hour, according to Chipotle spokesperson Erin Wolford.

A thread in the Chipotle subreddit demanding that customers stop recording employees touched off an impassioned debate with more than 1,000 comments.

“People think (or at least say) that they are doing it to stand up against corporate greed and injustice, but are filming line workers without their consent while they try to scrape out a living,” one comment reads.

In a statement, Ms Wolford discouraged the practice. “We appreciate when our guests treat our employees with the respect that they deserve,” she wrote. “Filming does not result in larger portion sizes.”

Influencers Polenske and Francis said they did not intend to scapegoat workers.

“It’s a wake-up call to the corporate side of Chipotle,” Mr Polenske said.

In a video interview published May 30 with Fortune magazine, Chipotle chief executve Brian Niccol denied that the restaurant was serving smaller portions.

But the clip may have backfired. In the video, Mr Niccol suggested that customers could get more toppings with a subtle nod at the person behind the counter – a gesture that has been picked apart online and given rise to its own wave of comedic interpretations.

And, by conceding the point that portion sizes are variable, Mr Niccol seems to have given his critics – who had very little proof to begin with – something new to sink their teeth into.

“I don’t think this is over,” Mr Polenske said. “They didn’t address the concerns.” NYTIMES