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To finally \u201cput the \u2018weight debate\u2019 to rest,\u201d Wells Fargo analyst Zachary Fadem and his team bought and weighed 75 burrito bowls, they wrote in a note this week. The analysts \u201cstudied\u201d (and hopefully later devoured) burrito bowls at eight different Chipotle locations in New York City, with half of the orders placed digitally and the other half in person.<\/p>\n
Through the study, the analysts found that the bowls\u2019 weights were wildly inconsistent.<\/p>\n
The median bowl ordered online and in-person weighed about the same, according to the Thursday note, but the weight of the burrito bowls varied drastically in each category. For in-person orders, the heaviest bowl weighed 47% more than the lightest. The weight varied even more for digital orders, with the heaviest bowl weighing 87% more than the lightest bowl. At 13.8 ounces, the smallest burrito bowl weighed just a little more than the average soda can.<\/p>\n
Apparently, there\u2019s at least one New York City Chipotle that may also be worth avoiding, as the analysts found that many of the 10 lightest bowls were from the same unnamed store. All 10 were also digital orders.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile throughput is improving, order consistency remains an opportunity,\u201d the analysts wrote in a Thursday note.<\/p>\n
The analysis comes as Chipotle has been criticized on social media for doling out supposedly smaller portion sizes. A rumor, which Chipotle<\/a> denied, later emerged that the chain had instructed employees to give bigger portions to people recording them, sparking a flurry of videos across social media<\/a>, especially on TikTok.<\/p>\n Last month, Chipotle CEO Brian Niccol told Fortune<\/em> that portion sizes had not gotten smaller, but added that customers could give employees a \u201clook\u201d<\/a> to bulk up their burritos.\u00a0<\/p>\n On Wednesday, Chipotle founder and former CEO Steve Ells reiterated that the restaurant chain\u2019s portions have not shrunk and insisted that it has, in fact, been \u201cquite generous\u201d with its portion sizes, Quartz<\/em> reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve never experienced someone walking out of a Chipotle hungry in my 30 some odd years, I mean, it just doesn\u2019t happen,\u201d Ells said at the Wall Street Journal<\/em> Global Food Forum. \u201cSo those who complain about portion sizes, I\u2019m not sure I quite get it, but I understand it\u2019s a thing out there.\u201d<\/p>\n Although the varying bowl sizes may have looked bad for the chain, Chipotle\u2019s chief corporate affairs officer, Laurie Schalow, said the variability was totally normal because of how the restaurant serves its orders.<\/p>\n \u201cSimilar 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 in-person or digitally,\u201d Schalow said in a statement to Fortune<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Despite the controversy over portion sizes, Wells Fargo found that Chipotle\u2019s foot traffic continues to increase, aside from a setback last month, and the bank is still optimistic about the stock. The company\u2019s quarter-to-date foot traffic is at its highest level in 10 quarters, the bank found.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n