Main Character of the Week: The Chipotle deserter

Main Character of the Week is a weekly column that tells you the most prominent “main character” online (good or bad). It runs on Fridays in the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter. If you want to get this column a day before we publish it, subscribe to web_crawlr, where you’ll get the daily scoop of internet culture delivered straight to your inbox.

The internet is a stage, and someone unwillingly stumbles onto it weekly. This makes them the “main character” online. Sometimes their story is heartwarming, like the Airbnb host who charged guests to use the pool table; usually it’s a gaffe. In any case, that main character energy flows through the news cycle and turbo-charges debate for several business days.

Here’s the Trending team’s main character of the week.

It’s the man who walked out mid-order in line at Chipotle.

Sometimes, it takes an iconoclast to disrupt protocol and shock the internet into disorder. Amid perpetual online complaints about portion sizes, one man decided to leave when a Chipotle worker shorted him on beans, rice, and chicken.

“I’m OK, I’m good,” he told the worker. His consumer act of defiance resonated with viewers who applauded the unconventional move and spoke out.

As we reported recently, this game-changing moment has had a ripple effect: “Now, users are saying they’re receiving small portions during in-person orders—and they’re not thrilled about it. After one user walked out upon being charged for ‘quadruple chicken’ upon receiving just 2 scoops of protein, others felt more comfortable following suit. Some customers have begun ordering from Chipotle, seeing their portion sizes, and simply leaving the restaurant before their order is completed.”

This fracas was followed by a video from the perspective of a Chipotle worker who said that yes, managers pressure workers to limit portions down to the “pinches” of cheese offered by the assembly line staff.

Is Chipotle declining in quality or is it just entitled white guys making a stink online?

Maybe this is on consumers as well and telling of just who visits this chain in particular.

Chipotle is among the few fast food eateries entitled white guys who go to the gym actually like. A friend of mine, Matt E. from my Houston fantasy football league, was known around the office for his “live mas” approach to fitness that meant eating multiple Chipotle bowls a week for lunch. He paddle-boarded in his Facebook profile photo. Honestly a terrific friend… however I can see Matt E. complaining about inconsistent scoops of protein… while not giving the line worker the courtesy of removing his AirPods… and then whining about this in the group chat.

Full disclosure: The Daily Dot office is in downtown Austin, Texas and my view from my desk is the Chipotle on 8th and Congress. I find this particular Chipotle both delightful and more efficient than Jogi Löw’s German national team. I always get a bowl of chicken and put all three salsas on that bad boy.

On the whole, Chipotle is having a moment online, though it’s unclear just how good that is for the fast food giant.

Just this month in viral TikToks, patrons criticized the size of a large bag of tortilla chips and found “disgusting” items in their burritos. An apparent whistleblower said that Chipotle is rationing the chicken amid supply concerns. (Management has explicitly said during interviews that portions are not getting smaller and in fact, the company is seeing record profits this decade.)

In March 2023, Chipotle became a viral flashpoint when customers began hailing its menu’s hidden upside when it comes to meal prepping. But mostly, Chipotle content on TikTok is customers complaining about chicken.

We have reached out to Chipotle a number of times about these concerns.

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