75 burrito bowls later, Wells Fargo proved Chipotle’s portion controversy isn’t just online noise

This analysis comes amid growing scrutiny of Chipotle’s portion sizes on social media.

In a bid to settle the ongoing debate around Chipotle’s portion sizes, a team of analysts at Wells Fargo undertook an unusual and detailed investigation this week—by purchasing and weighing 75 burrito bowls from the popular fast-casual restaurant chain. The results, documented in a research note published on Thursday, revealed stark inconsistencies in the weight of the meals, reigniting concerns about portion variability.

The analysts, led by Zachary Fadem, conducted the study across eight Chipotle locations in New York City. Of the 75 burrito bowls, half were ordered digitally, and the other half in person. The exercise, as described in the note, was intended to “put the ‘weight debate’ to rest.” Whether or not the burrito bowls were eaten afterward was not confirmed.

According to the report, while the median weight of bowls ordered in-person and online appeared roughly the same, the individual weights varied significantly within each category. In the case of in-person orders, the heaviest bowl weighed 47% more than the lightest. For digital orders, the disparity was even more pronounced—the heaviest bowl weighed 87% more than the lightest. One digital bowl, weighing just 13.8 ounces, was barely heavier than a standard can of soda.

The analysts also pointed out that many of the ten lightest bowls were sourced from the same unnamed Chipotle location, and all ten were ordered digitally. This led the team to suggest that while the company’s order throughput may be improving, “order consistency remains an opportunity.”

This analysis comes amid growing scrutiny of Chipotle’s portion sizes on social media. In recent months, users on platforms like TikTok have accused the chain of shrinking serving sizes, especially for digital orders. A rumour, which Chipotle has publicly denied, alleged that employees had been instructed to serve larger portions when they noticed customers recording video footage at the counter—leading to a flurry of viral content.

In response to the controversy, former Chipotle CEO Brian Niccol told Fortune that the company had not reduced portion sizes. However, he added that customers could influence their meal sizes by giving employees a particular “look” to signal that they wanted more food.

The chain’s founder and former CEO, Steve Ells, also addressed the issue during a panel discussion at the Wall Street Journal Global Food Forum. Ells insisted that portion sizes at Chipotle had not been reduced and described the company as “quite generous” with servings.

“I’ve never experienced someone walking out of a Chipotle hungry in my 30 some odd years, I mean, it just doesn’t happen,” Ells said. “So those who complain about portion sizes, I’m not sure I quite get it, but I understand it’s a thing out there.”

Defending the company’s practices, Chipotle’s Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Laurie Schalow issued a statement to Fortune, attributing the observed weight discrepancies to the chain’s customisable meal model.

“Similar to others in the fast casual industry, our completely customisable 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,” Schalow said.

Despite the renewed scrutiny over portion consistency, Wells Fargo remained optimistic about Chipotle’s overall business performance. The bank noted that foot traffic to Chipotle locations had continued to rise, with the exception of a brief downturn last month. Quarter-to-date, the company’s foot traffic has reached its highest level in the last ten quarters, according to the analysts.