Chipotle has been having a hard time recently. First there was the whole, “We’re shutting down 43 stores in the PNW because of E. coli” thing. And then there was the whole, “Wow, we really have no idea what’s causing this E.coli outbreak” thing.
Leaving potentially life-threatening bacteria aside, there’s another issue Chipotle stores are dealing with: “meh” reviews. What was once the darling of the fast-casual restaurant industry now seems to be losing fans, with most locations barely exceeding a 3-star Yelp review average.
Complaints range from skimpiness on doling out ingredients (particularly to petite women) to employee rudeness, to cleanliness issues (and yes, post-burrito bouts of intestinal distress). Then there are those reviewers who point out the obvious: why spend $10 on a burrito and extra guac when you can grab something way better at an authentic Mexican food truck down the street?
Here are some of our favorite critical voices from Yelp — that great pillar of the food criticism community.
Jackie B., who is used to home-cooked Mexican food:
Sasha T., who doesn’t enjoy sodium bombs:
Max S., for whom the irony of eating a “real” burrito at Chipotle is not lost on:
Ralph C., who can legitimately recommend a good place for Mexican food:
Brian K., who doesn’t enjoy Band-Aids or other bits of plastic in his food:
Renning B., who was disappointed to not find Margaritas on the menu:
Jesus M., of the neglected burrito:
Mike C., who suffered the effects of his $15 meal:
Brenda L., who appropriately labels her food “bleh”:
Anthony T., who urges readers to hit up any corner taqueria in LA:
Jeremy H., who has a lot of nicknames for everything:
Michael C., who doesn’t understand the hype:
Ashot M., who rightly points out that Chipotle is fast food and should be treated as such:
And finally, Nikki W. #freethequesarito, Nikki. #freethequesarito.
