(NEXSTAR) — If you think portion sizes are getting smaller at your favorite fast-food joint, you’re not alone. Social media is filled with complaints from customers who say they’re not getting enough bite for their buck these days.
Chipotle is the latest company facing backlash over this common gripe. Just last month, food influencer Keith Lee — widely known for his viral review of a quesadilla hack that landed on the Chipotle menu — expressed dissatisfaction with a recent order from the restaurant.
While doing a taste test, he noticed one ingredient was lacking in his burrito bowl. “Where’s the chicken?” he said in a TikTok video that’s been viewed more than 17 million times since May 3.
He then begins to scrape through his bowl with a fork, searching for a chunk of Adobo chicken. Once he finally finds a piece, he launches another complaint: “I don’t taste much flavor. Everything is freezing cold.”
“I don’t know if it’s the quality. I don’t know if it’s the seasonings, the time, I don’t know what it is,” he continued. “And the amount of chicken … I think I can see like four pieces of chicken.”
Lee wasn’t pleased with his quesadilla either, rating it a 2.5/10. (He previously gave it a perfect score in a separate review.) His recent burrito bowl rating was slightly lower at 2/10.
“This is my opinion you can take it with a grain of salt,” he said. “I just had to be honest. I don’t mean no harm.”
All wasn’t bad, however. The 39-year-old gave his chicken tacos an 8/10, saying they were “flavorful,” and the meat was charred “really well.”
Soon after Lee posted his video, a social media firestorm erupted, with people calling on Chipotle to improve its portion sizes. Some have even filmed employees preparing their orders, hoping to get more food due to the camera pressure. Not everyone agrees with this approach.
“This is just rude,” one user wrote on the social media platform X, where someone shared a video of workers being recorded.
“I feel so bad for the people that work at Chipotle,” another person said.
Despite the backlash, Chipotle told Nexstar that its portion sizes haven’t actually changed.
“Our intentions are to provide a great experience every time, and our meals have always been completely customizable so guests can vocalize or digitally select their desired portions when choosing from the list of real ingredients,” said Laurie Schalow, Chipotle’s chief corporate affairs and food safety officer, in a statement.
“There have been no changes in our portion sizes, and we have reinforced proper portioning with our employees. If we did not deliver on our value, we want our guests to reach out so we can make it right,” she added.
Back in March 2022, Burger King faced similar criticism from customers who sued the chain over the size of its Whoppers. The plaintiffs argued that advertisements depict burgers that are approximately 35% larger than the ones they received. A federal judge in Florida refused Burger King’s request to dismiss the class-action lawsuit last August, The Associated Press reported.
Ashleigh Jackson
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