With Chipotle reporting second quarter earnings this week, a big question on many minds will be whether the TikTok portion-size complaints had an impact.
Data out Monday from Placer.ai may provide an answer.
For months earlier this year, guests took to social media with rants about shrinking portion sizes at the fast-casual chain, which has long been known for its overstuffed burritos. Then super influencer and “out-loud Chipotle fan” Keith Lee joined in with his own negative review.
It fueled a campaign, dubbed the “Chipotle Phone Method,” in which guests began filming Chipotle workers as they built their meals with the goal of shaming them into giving more generous portions.
The company, meanwhile, repeatedly insisted portion sizes have not changed at Chipotle, and that burritos are still “as big as your head,” as CEO Brian Niccol told Jim Cramer. Niccol’s attempts to speak to the issue, however, were also parodied on social media.
Still, reports indicated that portion sizes remained inconsistent.
In June, Wells Fargo analyst Zachary Fadem reportedly enlisted a team to fan out to eight Chipotle units in New York City to order 75 of the same bowl. They were weighed, and results indicated that the weight varied widely. Some were as light as 14 ounces, while others topped out over 27 ounces, the report found.
In addition, consumer insights firm HundredX Inc. in a report earlier this month found that consumer perceptions about portion sizes at Chipotle had fallen by 13 points over the past three years. That’s actually less than the roughly 15-point average drop for fast-casual peers.
But HundredX noted that consumer sentiment about Chipotle’s portions dropped more in the last year, and more among younger users (aged 18 to 29), who are more likely to vent on social media platforms like TikTok.
And yet, did it impact traffic?
Apparently not.
Placer.ai on Monday said Chipotle saw a traffic gain of 16.9% year-over-year for the second quarter, with visits per location increasing 9.5%. That outperformed the fast-casual segment more broadly.
Some of that increase can be credited to the chain’s ongoing expansion, but Placer.ai said visits spiked 22.1% in April, and remained in double digits in May (14.8%) and June (13.7%)—despite the seemingly negative attention on TikTok.
Placer.ai noted that Chipotle’s customer base grows more loyal with each passing year.
Between the second quarters of 2019 and 2024, the share of visitors frequenting a Chipotle at least twice a month increased from 22.8% to 29.6%, while the share of those visiting a Chipotle at least three times a month grew from 7.9% to 12.1%.
Chipotle is scheduled to report second-quarter results on Wednesday.
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