Are the new Chipotle portions a scam?

Lucy Schiff '26

Sports Page Editor

In the past months, the popular “build your own” Mexican restaurant, Chipotle, has had some hiccups that students at Louisville aren’t too happy about. Many have complained that the new serving sizes vary greatly to how they used to be.

“When I got a bowl they didn’t put as much cheese as they normally did a year ago. I’ve heard there is a policy telling them each amount to put when they are serving the food,” said Ava Snebold ’26.

Many would agree that their portion sizes fluctuate depending on whether you order your food online or in person. When ordering in person, employees are said to give the heftier portions due to the fact that the customers are watching them. After talking to some students, many have said that the price has gone up while the quantity and quality have both gone down.

“Too expensive; they raised the prices - my bowl was $20 the other day!” claimed Melia Duran ’26. As for the quality of the food itself, some thought that it has gone down as well.

“I think different locations have varying qualities of food,” Berlyn Granier ’25.

“Half the time the chicken comes out weird and half the time it’s good,” said Luella MacVie ’26.

After hearing all these conflicting comments, I decided to try it for myself.

I ordered two bowls. They were both the same order - except one was ordered online and delivered, and for the other, I went right to Chipotle and ordered it in person from the same location. I got identical orders of pretty much every topping, rice, beans, protein and fajitas. All that was left to do was weigh them, as well as try them and compare the differences between the two. The bowl that was ordered in store weighed 1 lb, 14.5 oz. And, as expected, the bowl that was ordered online and delivered weighed 1 lb, 2.7 oz.

Lucy Schiff '26 conflicted by Chipotle's portions

There was an 11.8 oz difference, which means 11 oz less of food when ordered online. Not only does it cost more to order your food, it is colder at arrival and you are definitely not getting your money's worth in size.

Despite there being many complaints about the serving sizes and quality, it has clearly not stopped people from eating there. So in the end, is it worth it to order Chipotle online? Or should you just take the extra time and go order it yourself? It’s certain that if you want more food, your answer is clear. Go get up and order your food in person! But, if your question is why order Chipotle in the first place? Well, that, I can’t answer!