Chipotle Bumps Prices Up Again, Cites Inflation

Between 2008 and 2012, Chipotle Mexican Grill was living rent-free in all of our hearts—and for good reason. The portions were massive, the ingredients fresh, and the value unbeatable. A $9 burrito wasn’t just a meal; it was a meal and tomorrow’s lunch wrapped into one delicious deal. But fast-forward to today, and it’s a different story—Chipotle has officially announced yet another price hike.

The beloved burrito chain is hitting wallets harder than ever, signaling a new reality for fans who once happily braved long cafeteria-style lines for their go-to orders. It seems the days of unbeatable value are now part of Chipotle’s nostalgia menu.

As of December 5, the franchise raised its menu prices claiming this was a necessary change across its over 3,500 restaurants. Chipotle announced this would be a 2% increase due to the rising cost of inflation across the country. Yeah guac is extra, but now it’s really going to cost you extra.

“For the first time in over a year,” Chipotle’s chief corporate affairs officer Laurie Schalow said in a statement via the outlet, “we have taken a modest price increase of approximately 2% nationally to offset inflation.” 

As to be expected, fans hit to socials like X to express their disappointment and frustration around the news. It wasn’t too long ago that the internet was just in an uproar over Chipotle’s portion sizes, which many people claimed had gotten smaller while prices continued to soar and quality allegedly lowered. Do you remember Keith Lee’s TikTok food review? 

Now only time will tell whether Chipotle will retain its loyal customer base with yet another price hike. Will tasty food news such as its Chipotle Honey Chicken or re-emphasizing generous portions after this summer’s backlash be enough to keep the Chipotle old heads to stand in line?