The Chipotle "weight debate" rages on, with the company's CEO now weighing in both literally and metaphorically. As Americans were hit with high inflation over the past few years, some began griping on social media that food portions at the restaurant chain had shrunk, though the company insisted earlier this month it hadn't cut down on its portion sizes. This week, however, Chipotle chief Brian Niccol conceded that an internal inquiry found smaller portions had indeed been unearthed in about 10% of the chain's 3,500 locations, which he called "outliers," per CBS News.
"[T]here was never a directive to provide less to our customers," Niccol said in a Wednesday call with investors, per the Hill. "Generous portion is a core brand equity of Chipotle. It always has been, and it always will be." The New York Times notes that as food prices have risen, many restaurants have allegedly tried to absorb the hit by taking part in "shrinkflation," in which they subtly slash portion sizes while keeping prices the same. The paper notes, however, that complaints about Chipotle portion sizes stretch back to at least 2019.
At any rate, Niccol now says that the chain will focus on getting portion sizes back up at the offending locations, by "reemphasizing training and coaching around ensuring we are consistently making bowls and burritos correctly." Chipotle CFO John Hartung warned in the call that the chain will take an overall financial hit in getting those restaurants' portions back to where they should be, but he said it was a necessary investment. "We decided that this brand equity called 'generous portions' is something that we don't want to take for granted," he told investors, per CBS. (More Chipotle stories.)
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