For many Chipotle connoisseurs, hacking the system is as much a part of the appeal as any of the specific toppings and flavors. The hacks come and go, but one old standby is pretty simple: ask for your protein on the side instead of directly on the burrito, bowl, or salad. Fans claim the side portion can end up weighing more than a standard scoop dropped onto rice and beans, meaning more meat for the same price.
While you can usually find dried, whole chipotles in Mexican or Latin supermarkets, they are also widely available in cans, labeled chipotles en adobo, or chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. The adobo sauce usually consists of pureed tomatoes, onions, vinegar, a sweetener like sugar (or sometimes high fructose corn syrup), oil, garlic, and spices, among other things, depending on how it's made. Most importantly, chipotle in adobo is the smoky ingredient to take your tacos to the next level.
The report, released on Tuesday, February 3, showed a 2.5% decrease in comparable restaurant sales from quarter-three and a 1.7% drop year-over-year. However, it appears Chipotle has a plan to fix all that: more limited-time offerings. Yes, the company's secret weapon of choice is to bump up its number of fresh menu options. This shift will include four limited-time offers throughout the year, Chipotle CEO Scott Boatwright said in an earnings call. He described the move as an increase in Chipotle's "menu innovation cadence."
If you're piling your already-damp lettuce with beans, wet salsas, sour cream, and the like, you could be compromising the structural integrity of the container and setting yourself up for a less-than-optimal eating experience. One of the hacks for ordering at Chipotle that you can try to combat this moisture is to order a bowl, but ask for the lettuce to be added to the dish last.
You probably know all about dragon sauce, which is Chipotle's sour cream mixed with its tomatillo-red chili salsa, aka the spiciest salsa on the menu. But if you want to take your queso to new heights, order a side of the tomatillo-red chili salsa, mix it with the queso blanco, and voilà, spicy queso. The amount of spice you want will determine how much salsa you add. That red stuff can be quite hot, so start slow and taste as you go.
Rather than waste your extra dollars on a disappointing takeout dip, you're much better off choosing from a number of store-bought guacamole brands or making your own at home. Comparing prices, adding guacamole to your burrito or bowl order can cost around $3, the same price for approximately 4 fluid ounces of guacamole when ordered as a side on its own. The price for a large 8-ounce side of guacamole is nearly $9.
The Q3 earnings report caused CMG stock to plunge by over 20%. The company has cut its full-year 2025 comparable sales forecast for the third consecutive time, now projecting sales to decline in the low single-digit range, rather than remaining flat. Q3 revenue of $3 billion met expectations, but comparable same-store sales grew just 0.3%. Analysts expected 1.36%. CEO Scott Boatwright said that the company is seeing a "significant pullback" from customers aged 25 to 34.
Indeed, rice is filling and cost-effective. Home cooks know this, and so do professional chefs - which is why, when folks order a burrito at a Mexican restaurant, there's a good chance it's stuffed mostly with rice. Many restaurants do this because rice is simply cheaper than other, even more desirable ingredients. In fact, the fast-casual burrito chain Chipotle has caught major backlash for this very practice.
Mexican food has become one of the most popular cuisines in America, and in the chain restaurant sphere, there are two spots that absolutely dominate. While burgers still dominate the lists of largest chain restaurants in the U.S., for years, the "international" food that the country couldn't get enough of was Italian. Propped up by pizza's enduring popularity, it was the food Americans ordered most, and it still is, but Mexican restaurants have been rising rapidly, and Mexican has already overtaken Italian with younger generations.
Chipotle's food safety crisis in 2015 demonstrated that the commitment to quality can create vulnerabilities in maintaining high-integrity supply chains at scale.
The humble chipotle pepper became Chipotle's name and logo to indicate the chain's commitment to fresh, real ingredients and fast food done right.
