For The Biggest And Best Chipotle Bowl, Remember This Simple Ordering Trick

Remember when we covered the trend of folks walking out of Chipotle midorder because they were dissatisfied with the size-to-price ratio of their burritos or bowls? That was in 2024, but complaints about shrinkflation at Chipotle have continued haunting the chain well beyond then. This discourse came back when Chipotle CEO Scott Boatwright told customers that they should "just ask for a little more" in their order and that "there's never a team member on that line that is going to say no to you" (via People). Boatwright got flamed on the internet with accusations of disingenuousness, but he did (perhaps inadvertently) make a point.

With the exception of upcharge items like protein, queso, or guac, it's true that you can always ask for extra fillings in your bowl or burrito and you should receive them totally free of charge. Chipotle employees chop most of the ingredients on the line by hand, and the salsa, cheese, rice, and beans are a treat all by themselves. While those scoops of beef, chicken, or sofritas are limited (and remain a source of much consumer angst), you can still get a big, delicious bowl by maxing out your quantities of everything else. Love salsa? Ask for an extra scoop, or even two! Crazy about fajita veggies? Ask an employee to pile them on. Likewise, you can make sure your super bowl has a filling, hearty base by asking for extra rice. Being polite to employees and respectful of others behind you in line is always a bonus, but there's no reason to leave Chipotle with a skimpy bowl.

Over on Reddit, self-proclaimed Chipotle employees were just about unanimous when a customer asked about the logistics of ordering extra everything on their meal without feeling greedy or guilty. "Nope. That's how you get your money's worth as a customer," one commenter said approvingly. "A bowl or burrito is realistically worth $5-7 in total ingredients, so don't feel bad about asking for extra fillers." You might even get an unexpected surprise, as another alleged employee said they "Can't even begin to count the amount of times I put together an extra everything except meat order. As a nice side effect, you sometimes end up with a little extra protein just because it looks 'off' once you get there with extra rice, beans, and fajitas and a normal scoop is added."

The one caveat that employees had was to go easy on the extras if you are ordering a burrito instead of a bowl. "It's fine in a bowl," one Redditor advised. "Be kind and don't order extra everything on a burrito, though. You'll barely be able to hold it, and it will ruin some trainee's day, lol." We've discussed how to fold burritos like you work at Chipotle, but all our dexterity tends to go out the window when it comes to a burrito stuffed with so many toppings that it weighs as much as a human newborn. Here's one final hack if you must have all the things, as well as a burrito: ask for a tortilla on the side so that you can roll only part of your maxed-out bowl into a wrap.