With the cost of food-away-from-home prices spiking and projections that they’ll only be going up in 2023, it’s no secret that several content creators are posting videos demonstrating how people can feed themselves while budgeting their earnings.
User Morgan (@morgansandiego), a TikToker who has published several clips highlighting ways customers can save money, recently published a bit of helpful money-saving advice for Chipotle fans.
Her “hack” is one that’s been implemented by other TikTokers who order from other restaurants: ordering take-out from the kids’ menu.
@morgansandiego Chipotle $5 lunch, order a kid’s quesadilla with two sides. It comes with chips and a drink. I hope this can help anyone who is struggling to make ends meet or on a budget.
♬ Aesthetic – Gaspar
As Morgan directly addresses the camera in her video, she carefully extricates all of the food items she received in her Chipotle order, which she says ultimately cost her just under $5.
“Before I explain the hack let me tell y’all this. Yes, I am trying to save money,” she explains. “I’m a psychiatric nurse practitioner and I typically make great money. But since the December/January mark, I have not received any payments from Medicaid, which is the bulk of my patients at my practice.”
She continues that since she’s on a budget until her payments get approved, she got a kid’s quesadilla, which comes with two sides.
“But then I asked if I could purchase plain white rice with a little bit of corn on top,” Morgan says. “…the rice and corn they charge as a side and honestly, this is enough food for lunch and dinner and you get a drink, here’s my receipt.” The screenshot of her receipt shows her meal came out to $4.72.
Morgan provided further instructions for the money-saving hack in the video’s caption, writing, “Chipotle $5 lunch, order a kid’s quesadilla with two sides. It comes with chips and a drink. I hope this can help anyone who is struggling to make ends meet or on a budget.”
According to Chipotle’s website, a Kid’s Meal cheese-only quesadilla retails for $4.45, and it also comes with rice and beans, and a selection of either kid’s chips or kid’s fruit. Proteins or guacamole with the quesadilla bumps up the price to $5.00.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Morgan via TikTok comment and Chipotle via email.
A viewer said they’ve been implementing this “hack” for quite some time, sharing, “I been enjoying my meals off the kids meal.”
Another wrote, “I do this all the time.” Someone else said they will occasionally double up on the kids’ meals to save lunch for another day as well, writing, “I do this. sometimes i get two and save the second for lunch the next day.”
Others applauded Morgan for choosing to practice fiscal responsibility.
“It’s so refreshing to see the girlies on a budget who make bank regularly talk about being on a budget bc we do have bumps in the road too!” a user shared
Others said they order kids’ meals because they otherwise “waste” the full-sized meals they purchase at restaurants.
“I Always get kids meals. I waste adult meals.. love this,” a viewer commented. “Do more of these videos. I enjoy bargains.”
There have been several content creators who have shared the way that they save money on eating while dining at Chipotle. One TikToker said they’ve been able to save money on groceries by purchasing catering orders from the chain and saving the food for the week. However, others said that this meal prep hack isn’t as cost-effective as some may think.
