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Shrinking Burritos
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Shrinking Burritos

Shrinkflation comes to Chipotle

Chipotle's slogan used to be "Burrito as big as your head." Now, customers are wondering if they've switched to "Burrito as big as your thumb."

person holding a white and brown cake
Photo by LikeMeat on Unsplash

Social media is buzzing with complaints about smaller portions. Chipotle's CEO, says this isn’t happening on purpose.

Quote: "Generous portion is a core brand equity of Chipotle. It always has been, and it always will be."

He says he's re-examining practices across all 3,500 restaurants. They're quote "re-emphasizing training and coaching" to ensure consistency.

Yeah, right.

This isn't just about burritos. This is another case of "shrinkflation." That's when companies shrink products instead of raising prices further so they can make more anyway. Its been all the rage in our supermarkets. They’re afraid we’ll stop buying. and with good reason. 

Since January 2021, consumer prices have jumped nearly 20 percent. Food, transportation, energy, housing - it's all more expensive. We’re paying more for and increasingly getting less. Who wouldn’t get sick of that?

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Chipotle is facing the crunch too with reports that the prices of avocados, a common part of chipotle dishes, are expected to spike soon.

So can you blame me if I don’t take Chipotle’s CEO at his word?

So, what do you think? Are companies being sneaky? Or is this just the cost of doing business in today's economy?

Share your thoughts in the comments and support my work at JamesBrowntv.substack.com.

On that note, I'm James Brown, and as always, be well.

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All of the Above with James Brown
The James Brown Commentary
Musings on news, life, and television. A few minutes a day, five days a week. Proudly based in Rochester, New York. Brought to you by Modern Fire Studios.