What Chipotle’s TikTok response to phone method videos can teach brands facing backlash

Chipotle is facing a fresh wave of criticism from consumers on TikTok accusing the restaurant chain of skimping on its portion sizes when assembling their burrito bowls or other menu items. And this time, as TikTok users take matters into their own hands by using the power of potential posts to secure heftier servings, Chipotle swiftly acknowledged the trend on the platform, making itself part of the social media discourse. Over the past week, young consumers have been strolling into their local Chipotle restaurants with their phone cameras raised and ready to film employees behind the counter assembling their orders. It’s part of a new “Chipotle phone method” or “Chipotle phone rule” trend that’s taken off after TikTok users began claiming that pointing their cameras at Chipotle employees pressured them to pile on larger portions of meat, cheese and other toppings when preparing their orders. “Apparently, we have hated on Chipotle so much that managers are allegedly providing notices to their employees that if anyone is ordering with their phone out [and] potentially recording to just load it up,” said TikTok user @tik.tok.teacher in a video that amassed nearly 30 million views and 2.8 million likes in less than a week. Dozens of consumers, including @tik.tok.teacher herself, have since put that theory to the test, with many concluding the so-called “phone method” does, in fact, result in larger portions and fuller burrito bowls. @luna.escobar_ it looked pretty full when i was ordering it 😭 #bigback #bigbackactivities #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #chipotle #chipotlebowl #chipotlesponsorme @Chipotle ♬ MILLION DOLLAR BABY - Tommy Richman A PR representative for Chipotle refuted those claims, telling Ad Age in an email that the restaurant chain “did not issue instructions regarding filming.” “Our intentions are to provide a great experience every time, and our meals have always been completely customizable,” said Laurie Schalow, Chipotle’s chief corporate affairs and food safety officer, in an email. “There have been no changes in our portion sizes, and we have reinforced proper portioning with our employees. If we did not deliver on our value, we want our guests to reach out so we can make it right.” Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs The latest round of criticism stems from a recent video posted by food critic Keith Lee, who last year partnered with the restaurant chain on a TikTok campaign and custom menu item. Earlier this month, Lee posted a video of himself sampling three different Chipotle orders, including a burrito bowl in which he could only find four pieces of chicken. Also read: What marketers can learn from the Chanel controversy “I used to love Chipotle,” Lee said at the start of his video. “Lately, Chipotle [has] not hit the same, in my opinion.” Lee’s TikTok has since garnered almost 17 million views, and many of the nearly 23,000 commenters on the video review echoed his sentiment about Chipotle’s quality supposedly worsening. One user racked up over 281,000 likes on a comment reading “Keith Lee calling out chipotle on their servings was needed 😭😭😭👏👏👏.” @keith_lee125 Chipotle taste test 💕 would you try it ? 💕#foodcritic ♬ original sound - Keith Lee Chipotle’s response Over the weekend, Chipotle acknowledged the viral trend with a video poking fun at how many consumers are now filming employees assembling their orders, combining footage of a crowd of people holding up their phones with a photo of a Chipotle restaurant. @chipotle i’m working late, cuz i’m Chipotle ♬ original sound - Chipotle Many TikTokers found Chipotle’s cheeky rebuttal amusing rather than irritating, with comments such as “Chipotle scoops were not giving but the marketing is servingggg 😂” and “Chipotle is BOLD for this!” each receiving tens of thousands of likes. Others had a more negative view of the brand’s response, including one passive-aggressive comment reading, “give us more food 🥰.” Chipotle’s PR team said that it worked with Day One Agency on the TikTok. Recent news: TikTok trends that brands can follow Social media scrutiny This certainly isn’t the first time Chipotle has faced scrutiny for portion sizes TikTok users have deemed inadequate. In December, comedian and content creator Ryan Lynch went viral for a TikTok video in which he urged the restaurant chain to swap its current scoops for measuring cups to help standardize the amount of toppings included in each order. “I’m sure you guys are going to watch this in one of your meetings, and I hope you guys make the change, because otherwise we’re just going to start walking out in the middle of our orders,” Lynch said at the end of his video. The response Chipotle’s Schalow provided to Ad Age at the time about his viral video similarly asserted the brand’s portion sizes hadn’t been altered. @ryanisreallypolite Giving @Chipotle ♬ original sound - RYAN LYNCH When a brand finds itself embroiled in social media scrutiny, “at the very least, it is in any brand’s best interest to acknowledge that [the controversy] happened,” said Nathan Jun Poekert, chief marketing officer and executive consultant at marketing consultancy Jun Social. With viral controversies that arise on TikTok, it’s also crucial for brands to “stay native to TikTok” in their response—and Chipotle’s self-referential tone and video format that “effectively looks like a CapCut filter” did just that, he added. “For most brands, when these posts go viral, the first thing [TikTok users] do is go to the brand page to see if there’s a response,” Poekert said. “And [Chipotle’s] response to it was the perfect way to just say, ‘Hey, we acknowledge that this is happening.’” Brands don’t need to, and shouldn’t, do much more than “just wait it out” when they find themselves caught in a viral controversy, he said. Turning off comments or continuing to post on social media without acknowledging the criticism they’re facing will only fuel further controversy, he said. And when the allegations or complaints being leveled against a brand are more serious than burrito bowls having fewer toppings than consumers want, the brand shouldn’t be putting out a similarly light-hearted, cheeky response, he said.

What Chipotle’s TikTok response to phone method videos can teach brands facing backlash

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