Hot take: Chipotle is overrated, especially as a Fairfield student. If I’m in the mood for a bowl, I can just get one from our Mexican station, Sazón. Whereas if I went to Chipotle, I would be spending over $15 for just one item, even more if I just wanted a bag of chips. Spending that much on a regular meal feels harder to justify when a similar option is right on campus.

Although the food doesn’t replicate Chipotle, it definitely scratches the craving. It has the basics like guacamole, salsa and beans. If you’re missing the chips, they sometimes do have them; you just have to ask. If the burrito is part of the issue for you, one of my favorite Tully hacks is taking it to the sandwich station. All you have to do is ask them to toast it for you, and just like that, it’s perfect. It takes maybe two extra minutes.

Another factor for me is the consistency; you will rarely receive the same bowl. A lot of online reviews show this split pretty clearly: people either claim it’s their favorite to-go meal or complain about small portions or skimpy protein servings. It’s one of those places where your food tends to depend on timing and staff, which just makes it feel overhyped in my opinion. Online and through experience, I’ve learned their servings also vary depending on whether or not you ordered in person or through DoorDash/Uber Eats. This can be particularly frustrating with delivery, where you spend more money, wait longer and potentially have a smaller portion.

In the past few years, Chipotle has had to come out and make statements concerning portion sizes; the fact that they even had to do that speaks volumes to me. Companies usually respond like that only after enough people complain. That alone suggests the issue is not just isolated experiences.

To be fair, I understand why people are loyal to Chipotle. It’s fast and easy to customize. It’s also become a kind of default choice when people are ordering together. But popularity and quality are not always the same thing; some things can just be overrated or overhyped.

I also think competitors like Qdoba deserve more credit than they get. Qdoba tends to be more generous with toppings and includes things like queso without the same extra charges. Their flavors are not as bland, and the menu, I think, has greater options. It doesn’t have the same clout as Chipotle, but in terms of value and taste, it tends to hold its own.

At the end of the day, in my opinion, Chipotle just doesn’t live up to the level of hype it gets, especially since we already have cheaper alternatives right in front of us. If you really want a fast Mexican-style chain, Qdoba tends to give you more for your money and more flavor overall. For me, between the Tully and Qdoba, Chipotle just doesn’t live up to all its hype.