Chipotle is no stranger to online slander. Most recently, customers online say they're "boycotting" the chain by walking out on orders that they believe don't contain enough food. The latest viral claim on TikTok brings the chain's drink dispensers into question.
TikToker Caroline (@dave.spam) shared a single photo on the app. It shows a Berry Agua Fresca water cooler that they just poured their beverage from.
However, the guest noticed a detail on the cooler that they only realized after their drink was already poured. It is lined black and white dots on the inside side of the tank.
"Me after getting lemonade from chipotle then looking at the container to see mold in it," Caroline wrote via a text overlay. She included several "barf" emoji in the text.
"Had to ask for a new cup after this," Caroline shared in the caption of the post. The video accrued over 153,00 views
The Daily Dot has reached out to Chipotle via email and Caroline via TikTok comment for further information.
Other possible explanations
One viewer offered up another potential explanation for the unsightly marks on the side of the beverage cooler. "Yes it looks like mold but it could also be berry bits in the berry flavored drink. The one next to it isn’t moldy. Could also be mold, I don’t trust places like this much," they wrote.
Another echoed this speculation, saying, "That’s pieces of Berry seeds not mold."
Whereas someone else said that it's because of cleanliness practices—or a presumed lack thereof—that they will only purchase pre-sealed beverages. "This is why I only grab drinks that are sealed," they wrote.
"Uhhh can you imagine if it wasnt clear," a third said.
The words "Chipotle" and "mold" have recently appeared together in headlines. The US Sun reported on a confessional from an alleged former employee. That employee urged Redditors to stay away from "fancy lemonades" at the chain and claimed that the machines used for making such beverages are "filled with mold."
Another user on Reddit thought a portion of a wall located above a sink contained mold. And a Trip Advisor review for a Chipotle location in Illinois alleged they were served moldy food.
Chipotle's commitment to food safety
Chipotle has a dedicated site page to its commitment to food safety. The page reads, "All of our restaurants operate under a U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) system, by which we identify food safety risks in the system and implement corrective actions when needed. The potential for contamination of food through employee illness is our most critical control point. Our sick leave policy, in which restaurant employees are automatically given three days of sick leave from their first day of employment, is designed to reduce this risk. Crew members are also given a Wellness Check at the beginning of each shift to ensure no sick employee is working."
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