What Does Chipotle Do With All Of Its Leftover Food?

You could say that we're real Chipotle fanatics. We squirrel away our app points for free guac (IYKYK), we have big opinions on the best proteins, and we got super hype for our friends south of the border when Chipotle planned new locations in Mexico. Overall, we'd consider ourselves connoisseurs when it comes to our favorite source of burritos and bowls. One thing we didn't know for certain and had to find out, however, was what, exactly, the restaurants were doing with their leftover food at the end of the day. Food waste accounts for billions of pounds each year in the United States alone, and we believe restaurants should be combatting it where they can.

Chipotle boasted in 2023 that 91% of restaurants participated in recycling programs, with 31% composting as well. That same year, it alleged that over a half a million pounds of food were being donated annually through its Harvest Program initiative, with 360 partner agencies receiving approximately $5.3 million in perishables. In 2025, the Harvest Program was still reportedly saving over 400,000 pounds of edible food from landfills each year by directing it to charity. Chipotle employees chop (virtually) all food by hand, and the chain prides itself on high-quality ingredients — which would mean that the Harvest Program is indirectly furnishing hungry Americans with great eats. Is Chipotle really as virtuous as it claims to be? Well, that depends on who you ask.

On social media site Reddit, self-professed Chipotle employees paint a different picture of food waste in their restaurants. "Rices, beans, veggies, steak, pico, lettuce, chips and taco shells are all thrown out," one writer claimed. "Theres a program stores can apparently sign up for that donates food, it never happens." On that same thread, another user called out the Harvest Program by name and stated that their store partakes. "I throw like 2-3 garbage bags worth of chips every night cause no one picks it up from the shelter," another user shrugged. 

Many Redditors claimed that food is used prudently within stores, in that prepped foods are saved for use the next morning, but many told a similar story of perfectly good items being chucked: "POV: you throw out 40+ pounds of pristine food at the end of a shift on a regular basis cuz your restaurant can't figure out how much to properly prep and the billion dollar company you work for can't be bothered to donate perfectly good food. Welcome to dystopia. What can I get started for you?" (Via another Reddit thread, complete with video.)

It should be noted that Reddit users aren't proven Chipotle employees, and that concerned citizens should take any and all anonymous social media reports with a grain of salt. Still, the thought of good food being thrown away is worrisome, and might even contribute to us wanting to follow the viral trend of walking out of Chipotle mid-order to protest shrinkflation. Jokes aside, we might consider asking a manager at our local Chipotle what the restaurant's policy is regarding food waste, and comparing that answer to the official corporate party line.