Chipotle location's surprising habit before handing customers their bowls goes viral: 'Be happy the store isn't skimping you'

A Chipotle customer was stunned after noticing an unusual step before their meal was handed over.

In a now-viral Reddit post, one user shared a picture of their order placed on a digital scale just before it was bagged and passed over. This isn't standard practice at all locations, with the user asking 'why they got my bowl on a scale?'

Almost instantly, customers and employees alike shared their theories about the new practice, with one user revealing it could mean one of two things. 

The first is that an employee was in the middle of weighing the remaining meats before closing the restaurant - a standard practice to track daily food waste and help monitor remaining inventory. As a result, the burrito bowl could've just been placed there because there was no more room on the counter.

The other is that sometimes managers track portion sizes. 

This is a practice that's typically done when training new employees, to help make sure each bowl is around the same weight.  

'My manager would use this for newer employees to sort of test how accurate they are with multiple scoops in a row,' a Reddit user wrote. 'Really they’re trying to see first if you’re close to the amount and second if you’re consistently close the amount.'

Others agreed, adding, 'They probably did portion training and are making sure that the right amount of everything is in your bowl. We do this with new crew members so they can visualize correct portions and get a feel for them.' 

Some social media users chimed in with jokes about Chipotle's portion sizes, as customers often complain about shrinking burritos and bowls at the chain restaurant.  

'It’s like when your suitcase gets sent to the hand search conveyor at TSA,' one Reddit user wrote. 

'That store’s general manager is sick and tired of being sick and tired. I can tell you that,' another added. 

The unusual sight comes after Chipotle found itself at the center of a nationwide debate over portion sizes - and even Wall Street took notice. 

Last year, a Wells Fargo analyst ordered dozens of identical Chipotle bowls from multiple restaurants and found that the portion sizes varied based on location and even server. 

Bowl weights ranged from 14 ounces to as much as 27 ounces, with the median coming in at roughly 21.5 ounces -showing just how much meals could differ from one location to another. 

Scott Boatwright, the chain’s CEO, was also recently asked about long-running complaints that Chipotle’s once-heaping bowls and burritos have been quietly shrinking. His answer was simple - just ask.

'You should ask for a little more,' Boatwright told Yahoo Finance’s Power Players podcast. 

It is not the first time a Chipotle executive has commented on disappointing portions. In 2024, former CEO Brian Niccol said that Chipotle had found more than 10 percent of its 3,500 locations were scoring poorly on portion sizes.

'We'll invest in it, and we'll figure out how to make sure we consistently do it every time,' he said, adding that the company was 'committed to making this investment to reinforce that Chipotle stands for a generous amount of delicious, fresh food at fair prices for every customer visit.' 

Chipotle has over 4,000 locations, making it one of the most popular fast casual Mexican food chains. 

Compared with other fast-casual eateries, Chipotle has generally outperformed rivals like Sweetgreen and Cava on scale and profitability but is facing similar pressure industry-wide as consumers seek out cheaper options.