A Chipotle customer was not happy with the size of the font on the chain’s menu, leading many TikTokers to accuse the chain of intentionally attempting to hide its ever-increasing prices from patrons.
Drew Dizzy (@veneno24k) uploaded an eight-second clip from the interior of a Chipotle location where he recorded the size of the font on the store’s menus above the serving counter. The video has garnered 22,000 views since being uploaded.
@veneno24k what is this a menu for ants?! #chipotle #menu #prices #food ♬ original sound – Drew dizzy
“Yo look what Chipotle be doing with their prices. It’s like a f*cking eye exam bro. What the f*ck, I still can’t even…” the creator says, hurling criticism at Chipotle for making it difficult for customers to see how much items cost.
“What is this a menu for ants?!” he asks in a caption for the clip.
Commenters who saw the video agreed with Drew’s assessment of the menu’s font. One user on the platform joked: “I put my glasses on and it made it worse.”
Another claimed that at their local Chipotle restaurant, management had decided to remove all pricing information listed on its menus: “They dont even have prices at my local chipotle. I assumed they just made everything cost the same lol.”
One TikToker speculated about the location’s reasoning for pulling this design move, suggesting, “They really said: let’s increase the price but let’s not let them see.”
This was a sentiment echoed by many other users, including one viewer who wrote, “It’s on purpose so we don’t realize the price increases.”
Another person also complained, “Then when you try to read it the ppl working wanna rush you through lmao.”
One viewer also referenced comments from Chipotle’s CEO Brian Niccol about the chain’s pricing structure, saying, “You should look up what the chipotle ceo was caught saying about prices. He’s evil.”
Yahoo! Money reports that Niccol acknowledges that Chipotle’s recent round of price markups may mean that the company will ultimately lose certain patrons who can no longer afford its offerings. But, he argues, there are still throngs of customers who are willing to fork over the amount of money that the fast food chain is charging for their Mexican-style fare.
“We continue to see a widening of trends by income level with the lower-income consumer further reducing frequency. While it is difficult to predict the macroeconomic impact on future spending trends we know our value proposition remains strong and we experienced minimal resistance to our price increase in the quarter,” Niccol purportedly said in a 2022 earnings call.
There are numerous Chipotle customers who’ve slammed the franchise for its increasing prices, including for add-ons, stating that the chain has become prohibitively expensive and as a result, they’ve sworn off patronizing the franchise any longer.
Chipotle employees have also stated that they are being instructed by management to give online shoppers smaller food portions, causing many to accuse the restaurant chain of engaging in misleading business practices. This has prompted diners to profess their love for competing businesses, like Cava, which offers similar fare to Chipotle at what customers say are better price points.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Chipotle via email and Drew via TikTok comment for further information.
