Chipotle is Giving Us Too Much Food

Hi, if you go on their website and create a chicken bowl with no cheese or sour cream, it will tell you that you are consuming 480 calories. However, this number is based on Chipotle employees putting one full serving of all your ingredients in the bowl. Unfortunately, many employees will put twice the amount of rice and 50% more meat than they are supposed to, so without you knowing, your bowl becomes a 800 calorie bowl that you recorded as a 480 calorie bowl.

So eat all the meat and just nibble on the rice - Eastcoast Jim

...and from a few posts above this

I work at Chipotle.

We're supposed to give out 7 ounces of rice, 4 ounces of meat, and 3.5 ounces each of the additional items. If you want your bowl to be "correct" tell them to measure out 4 ounces of rice, etc. A spoonful is 3.5 ounces...so when we scoop those extra bits of meat the second time, you're not getting double, we're just making it 4 ounces. The plastic side cups are 4 ounces, just for a visual. When I first started, I would just scoop all the meat into a side cup, and then dump it on the bowl.

Trust me, corporate has this down to a science. At my store we actually pulled out the food scale, just to confirm.

Me either. Food establishments have little to investment in your diet or personal health, their priority is profit. Your diet/intake/personal choice is your responsibility. I applaud the original poster for investigating the calories count for his own benefit but see not point beyond that except to say that when going out, it is highly likely you will not be able to trust the serving size given to you. I believe this is true for most establishments.

Yipes! Was that really necessary? I don't think he was bashing you in any way.

Sometimes I feel like I'm the only person who has never been to Chipotle.

I have these feels too. Never been to one.

I agree, I would not want to be thinking that I am counting calories for a specific amount of food and find out that I am completely wrong especially on a diet. On the other hand if I were not on a diet and being thrifty with my dollar I would say Pile it on sister/brother.

This is true of practically every restaurant. You can't control how much the servers and cooks place on your plates, if they take the time to measure each of the burgers and steaks they cook for you, etc. You just have to estimate, or if you really want to stay accurate, don't eat out and prepare your own meals.

I hate their food. Way too much rice. Not enough meat.

...You know you can ask for less rice (or even no rice) right?

I don't like to throw around the first world problems but... seriously... first world problems.

I still haven't tried Chipotle :sad:

I actually wanted to try it out for the longest time. I do love Qdoba which I have been told is pretty much the same thing and I love Qdoba!

This is useful information. I eat at Chipotle probably once a week because it's really tasty and because I know how many calories I'm getting. In my experience, the workers seem like they're giving me a spoon of everything, and if they go back with the spoon for a second go, it's usually because they're near the bottom of the container and the spoon wasn't full from the first pass.

I think if you watch them with the rice, the other ingredients probably aren't going to matter as much. I don't think I've ever gotten more than one spoonful of beans, and a little extra chicken is not going to matter as much.

Other people obviously see it differently, but to me, a bowl with brown rice, black beans, fajitas, chicken, and two kinds of salsa is a really filling dinner, especially if I'm there with a friend and don't wolf it down. Even if the calories were 25% higher than their online calculator says, it'd be a good choice.

Chipotle recently opened in my area. I had my first grilled chicken burrito bowl. The guacamole was extra, but my goodness...I'm accustomed to getting 3-4 oz side cup of guacamole and I think what I got was a whole avocado! :bigsmile: I was not complaining, but I did divide my burrito bowl into 3 servings and counted it as a whole serving each time I entered it in MFP!

I don't like to throw around the first world problems but... seriously... first world problems.

You realize that pretty much everything on this site is a first world problem, right?

I don't like to throw around the first world problems but... seriously... first world problems.

You realize that pretty much everything on this site is a first world problem, right?

Not really. Many people in the third world countries have issues of obesity. But not many people can complain about getting more food than they paid for...

It is not just Chipotle. It is everywhere. Recommended servings sizes are smaller than people realize and hence overeating way more calories than most people need. Read labels and nutrition guidelines. I know it was an eye opener for me when I began here
2-1/2 years ago.