In Another 2020 Blow, Chipotle Is Now Charging for the Tortilla on the Side

Tortillas will now cost a quarter, and for some people, this is a travesty

A well-known menu hack at Chipotle has long been that you could get a free tortilla on the side of a burrito bowl to make your own JUMBO burrito with rice and beans to spare. But Chipotle has caught on to the working man’s attempt to get the most bang for his buck, and is now charging 25 cents for the extra tortilla. This, according to some, is a betrayal of the highest order.

Dissecting fast-food supply chains and pricing is an easy way to start looking like that math lady meme, but detractors have a point that this is a bad look for Chipotle. On top of being sued for labor violations in multiple states, and accused of punishing workers for calling in sick during the pandemic, the chain has also been engaged in speculative buying — reaching out to struggling, independent restaurants and offering to buy them out of their leases so the chain can expand. A quarter for a tortilla may not seem like much, but that’s an extra quarter given to a corporation that continually puts profit over people.

And in other news...

• Chocolate makers pledged not to use child labor, but a new study found that most of them have not done much to end the practice. [The Guardian]
• Black grandmothers are sharing food traditions and supporting farmers with Grandma’s Hands. [Civil Eats]
• Nelly is lending his image to Budweiser cans. [CNN]
• A new study shows that dim, romantic lighting can also dim your perception of food’s taste. [NYPost]
• A Japanese man invented an “edible” plastic bag, made from rice bran and old milk cartons, to protect the sacred deer in Nara. [CNN]
• Politicians eat fast food to perform authenticity. [WaPo]
• What happens when outdoor dining starts to resemble indoor dining? [The Nib]
• One good idea: pay bars to close this winter so they don’t go out of business because of the pandemic. Another good idea: pay everyone else to do this for a few weeks and then we can go back to normal. [NYTimes]

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