Duped by ‘300-Calorie’ Burrito, Chipotle Customers File Lawsuit

Three Chipotle customers in Los Angeles got more than they were hoping for when trying out the chain’s new Chorizo Burrito–well, more calories that is.

In a class action lawsuit filed last week, the diners allege that they were “lulled into a false belief” that Chipotle’s new burrito is much healthier than it really is, due to misleading nutritional information.

The burrito, which comes filled with grilled chicken, pork sausage, white rice, black beans, fresh tomato salsa, and a sprinkle of cheese, is seemingly billed on the overhead menu as having 300 calories.

@ChipotleTweets if a tortilla from chipotle has 300 calories by itself, how does a chorizo filled burrito also have only 300 calories??? pic.twitter.com/inepf71HKC

— Spencer Blank (@SB22_) November 9, 2016

One plaintiff claims that after ordering the Chorizo Burrito he “felt excessively full and realized that the burrito couldn’t have been just 300 calories,” according to the complaint.

The online nutrition calculator on Chipotle’s website estimates that, when added up, the burrito’s calorie count is more than triple that much, totaling over 1,000 calories.

Chipotle clarified on Twitter that the “300 calories” on the menu is for the chorizo alone, and apologized for the confusion. However, the plaintiffs claim the poor signage is part of a pattern in which the chain presents misleading nutritional information.

@LidiyaKravchuk I’m sorry for the confusion, but we’ll make things more clear next time. The 300 calories is for the chorizo. -Gabe

— Chipotle (@ChipotleTweets) November 8, 2016

A Chipotle spokesman refused to comment on the pending legal matter, but added, “a lawsuit is nothing more than allegations and is proof of nothing.” Still, this is yet another embarrassing blow to the Tex-Mex chain that’s still struggling to recover after E. coli, salmonella, and norovirus outbreaks caused both its sales and stock price to plummet.

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.