Chipotle's portion fight is back, and the CEO is using the same playbook the chain used two years ago.
The problem is the customers it needs to win back have a different complaint now.
They are not just asking about portion sizes. They are asking why so many of them are eating at CAVA instead.
The CEO's Pitch
CEO Scott Boatwright told Yahoo Finance's "Power Players" podcast that customers who feel their bowls and burritos look smaller should just speak up.
"It has always been our brand ethos and it is still to this day, we serve big beautiful bowls and burritos. Full stop, no questions asked," Boatwright said. "If you want more, just ask the team member. I promise you there's never a team member on that line that's going to say no."
The line echoed what former CEO Brian Niccol said back in 2024.
That came after a viral social trend, the "Chipotle Camera Trick Challenge," accused workers of giving smaller scoops to people who were not filming.
One creator ran a side-by-side test. The same burrito ordered with and without a film crew came back at different weights.
The clip racked up millions of views and forced Chipotle to put out a statement.
Why This Round Hits Different
Two years later, the math has changed.
Chipotle's same-store sales, a key gauge of how its open stores are doing, dropped 2.5% in the fourth quarter of 2025 from a year earlier, per Yahoo Finance.
CAVA, the fast-growing rival in casual dining, picked up market share over the same stretch.
That backdrop is shaping the response to Boatwright's comments.
One user called the CEO "clueless" and said the chain is "getting eaten alive by their competitors."
Another flagged the blind spot in the "just ask" pitch, since it does nothing for app orders, where there is no team member to ask.
The wallet gripes carry the most weight. Several users said when they do ask for more meat or guac, they get charged for a full extra portion.
That kind of upcharge story spreads fast on TikTok, the same place that fueled the 2024 backlash.
The price tag matters more this round.
A typical Chipotle bowl now runs north of $10 in many cities. CAVA's prices are in the same range.
When two rivals cost the same, portion size is what tips the choice.
What To Watch
Boatwright's challenge is not the social pile-on.
It is that the CEO's main answer to a portion problem is the same answer Chipotle gave in 2024. The lost customers since then are the ones who already heard the pitch.
For investors, the next quarterly print will show if the "just ask" pitch is working in stores.
If it is not, more share keeps walking across the strip mall to CAVA.
The fight over scoop size could end up costing more than the chain saved.
