Watch CBS News. ByKate Gibson. Edited ByAlain Sherter. Updated on: July 1, 2024  12:50 PM EDT CBS News. Chipotle isn't getting any help from Wall Street in trying to tamp down social media complaints about the the fastcasual restaurant chain's serving sizes. TikTok users, including influential food reviewers, have been sharing images of skimpy looking helpings,claiming they get bigger mealswhen they film workers putting their orders together. Attempting to put the "weight debate" to rest, analysts at Wells Fargo recently ordered and weighed 75 identical burrito bowls from eight Chipotle locations in New York City, with half ordered online and half instore. Their findings: The consistency of Chipotle's portions "varied widely," with some locations selling bowls with identical orders that weighed roughly 33 more than other outlets, Wells Fargo analysts said in a research note. The heaviest bowls weighed as much as 87 more than the smallest ones, they found. "Order consistency remains an opportunity," the Wells Fargo analysts stated of Chipotle, which opened in Denver in 1993 and now operates more than 3,400 fastcasual restaurants across North America. Chipotle dismissed the notion that it had changed its policy on serving sizes. "Similar to others in the fast casual industry, our completely customizable meals may have variability in their size or weight depending upon the number of ingredients a guest selects or if they choose to make an ingredient extra or light when ordering from our list of real ingredients inperson or digitally. There have been no changes in our portion sizes, and we aim to provide a great guest experience every time," a Chipotle spokesperson said in a statement to CBS MoneyWatch. Chipotle founder Steve Ells last weektolda forum in Chicago that the chain had always offered generous helpings. "So those who complain about portion sizes, I'm not sure I quite get it, but I understand it's a thing out there.". TikTok user Keith Lee, who has 16.4 million followers on the social media platform, said in a May 3videothat he used to love Chipotle but that the quality of its offerings has deteriorated. The post has more than 2.2 million views. Lee filmed himself eating several items from Chipotle's menu, including a bowl in which he appeared to struggle finding chicken. He ultimately found just four pieces, which he described as flavorless and cold. TikTok user Drew Polenskechimed inas well, addressing the alleged portionsize issue head on. "I speak for everybody when I say I am sick and tired of the Chipotle portion sizes and it needs to change.". Another TikTok user posted avideoshowing a Chipotle worker fulfilling his order, which appeared to be stuffed with ingredients. "The rumors are true. I held my phone up at Chipotle and they loaded my burrito," read a line of text in the video. Chipotle CEO Brian Niccol weighed in on the social media trend, dubbed the "Chipotle phone method," tellingCNBCat the end of May that he thinks it's "rude to our team members.". "We're not going allyoucaneat, we are going great ingredients, great culinary, great bowls," he added. Meanwhile, any inconsistency in Chipotle's bowl servings doesn't appear to be hurting the company's bottom line or appeal to investors. Chipotle's stocksplit 50to1 last week, one of the biggest stock splits in the history of the New York Stock Exchange. The stock split, the first in Chipotle's threedecade history, came after the shares surged almost 350 during the past five years to more than 3,000. As of Monday, Chipotle's stock traded at 60.58, valuing the company at 83.2 billion. Kate Gibson is a reporter for CBS MoneyWatch in New York, where she covers business and consumer finance. 2024 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2024 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Quotes delayed at least 15 minutes. Market data provided byICE Data Services.ICE Limitations. Powered and implemented byFactSet. News provided by The Associated Press.Legal Statement.
Chipotle is facing complaints on social media about inconsistent serving sizes, with some customers receiving significantly lighter or heavier meals. Despite denying changes to its portion sizes, the fast-casual chain is under scrutiny. On TikTok, influential users expressed dissatisfaction, drawing attention to the alleged portion size issue. Chipotle's CEO defended the chain's focus on quality ingredients but criticized the "Chipotle phone method" trend. Despite these challenges, Chipotle's stock recently split 50-to-1, reflecting its strong financial performance.