Order your Chipotle in person to get more bang for your buck, Wells Fargo analysis suggests

To “put the weight debate to rest,” Wells Fargo analyst Zachary Vadim and his team purchased and weighed 75 burrito bowls, they wrote in a note this week. The analysts “studied” (and hopefully later devoured) burrito bowls at eight different Chipotle locations in New York City, with half the orders placed digitally and the other half in person.

Throughout the study, analysts found that vessel weights were highly inconsistent.

According to the note released Thursday, the average weight of a bowl ordered online and in person was roughly the same, but the weight of burrito bowls varied significantly in each category. For in-person orders, the heaviest bowl weighed 47% more than the lightest. Weight varied even more for digital orders, where the heaviest bowl weighed 87% more than the lightest bowl. At 13.8 ounces, the smallest burrito bowl weighed slightly more than the average can of soda.

Apparently, there’s at least one Chipotle in New York City that might also be worth avoiding, as analysts found that many of the 10 lighter dishes were from the same unnamed store. All 10 orders were also digital.

“While productivity is improving, demand consistency remains an opportunity,” analysts wrote in a note on Thursday.

Special look

The analysis comes as Chipotle has come under fire on social media for distributing smaller-than-supposed portion sizes. Chipotle It was denied, and it later emerged that the chain had instructed staff to give larger portions to people who registered, sparking a wave of comments. Social Media Videosespecially on TikTok.

Last month, Chipotle CEO Brian Nicol said: luck Portion sizes are not getting smaller, but he added that customers can give to employees a look” To enlarge their burrito size.

Chipotle founder and former CEO Steve Ells confirmed Wednesday that the restaurant chain’s portion sizes have not been shrinking and insisted it has actually been “very generous” with its portion sizes, Quartz reported. Reported.

“I’ve never seen someone walk out of a Chipotle hungry in my 30s, I mean, that doesn’t happen at all,” Ells said in Wall Street Journal World Food Forum. “So those who are complaining about portion sizes, I’m not sure I completely understand that, but I understand that it’s a thing that exists.”

While the different plate sizes may seem bad for the chain, Lori Schalow, Chipotle’s chief corporate affairs officer, said the disparity was completely normal because of the way the restaurant serves its orders.

“Like others in the fast casual industry, our fully customizable meals may vary in size or weight depending on how many ingredients a guest selects or if they choose to make an ingredient extra or light when ordering from our menu of real ingredients in person or digitally,” Shalo said in a statement. luck.

Despite the controversy over portion sizes, Wells Fargo found that Chipotle’s foot traffic continues to increase, regardless of last month’s setback, and the bank remains bullish on the stock. The bank found that the company’s traffic on a quarterly basis reached its highest level in 10 quarters.