Over the past few years, Chipotle has faced many “shrinkflation”—the act of making consumers pay more for less—accusations from people online. Chipotle’s response to the accusations has been a little all over the place.
First, then-CEO Brian Niccol (who is now the CEO of Starbucks) insisted its portion sizes didn’t shrink. Then, in July 2024, he changed his tune, admitting to Forbes that 10% of Chipotle locations were serving smaller portion sizes due to poor training. By this point, a video of Niccol had gone viral in which he shared a trick to getting more food at the company—the head nod trick.
In the infamous interview, Niccol said that if customers “want a little more rice or [they] want a little more pico, all [they] got to do is, kinda, like, [makes a head nod motion].”
Of course, this video was heavily mocked at the time. But how well does it work?
The Hack In Action
Minneapolis foodie Ziad (@zezoaloba) recently put it to the test. His mission to try out the former Chipotle CEO’s hack now has 1.9 million views.
“Today, I am at Chipotle to test this method and see if it actually works,” he says, walking toward the Blaine location.
“Can I get a bowl to go with a burrito inside?” he asks one of the employees. This is essentially a bowl that’s lined with a tortilla.
From there, Ziad requests white rice, black beans, pinto beans, and chicken. However, the amount of beans and chicken is insufficient for the content creator, prompting him to test the method. Flipping the camera to face him, he gives the employee a tilt of his head.
Did It Work?
“There you go! You got it,” Ziad tells the laughing male employee.
He is surprised the trick actually worked. “I cannot believe this actually worked,” he says, shocked. “He was laughing. It’s like he knew I was mocking the CEO of Chipotle.”
Results for this trick will likely largely vary. It seems the worker Ziad knew about the CEO’s interview. Therefore, they knew a head nod meant they’d like more food. But if you try this hack out on a more unaware worker, just know you are risking some rather concerned and uncomfortable stares.
What Did Viewers Say?
Some viewers rushed to their nearest Chipotle to try out this hack for themselves, but they saw little success.
“Tried that and didn’t get more…hmm,” one shared.
Chipotle workers also shared some insights into what they think of the trick.
“I work at Chipotle. We were never trained on the head nod,” one commenter remarked.
“When people did that while I was working there, I would look at them confused until they used their words,” a second stated. “I’m sorry but I’m not here to play guessing games with you. Please just tell me what you want.”
The video made its way to the FYP of the worker featured in it. “Im just a W chipotle worker,” the worker commented, leading to a heartwarming interaction between him and Ziad.
@zezoaloba Today I tested the CEO of chipotle head movement method to see if it would work and IT ACTUALLY DID 😱. Enjoy my chipotle review. #fyp #viral #funny #food #foodie #foodcritic #chipotle #funnyvideos #foodtiktok #minnesota #yummy
Other Ways To Get Extra Toppings At Chipotle
Since Niccol’s method isn’t foolproof, there are several other ways to achieve desired portion sizes. One other method, for example, is to request a single scoop, let the worker add it to your bowl, and then “change your mind” and say you actually want a double. This ensures workers don’t skimp on the first scoop, knowing you are getting two. However, you will pay for double the protein with this “hack.”
UPDATE: During an interview with BroBible, Ziad revealed he discovered this “hack” through TikTok.
“I wanted to see if it actually works,” he shared via TikTok direct message. “[The employee noticed] it right away. It was my first time doing it.”
The content creator warned this may not work at every location.
“It was a fun experience and I’m pretty sure it probably will not work on other people,” he stated.
BroBible also reached out to Chipotle via press email.