You never know what you’re going to get when ordering your dinner to be delivered. The courier might arrive in a timely manner while the food is still hot. Or, more likely, you’ll be hangrily wondering where they are after 45 minutes of them supposedly being “on the way” to you. When they finally arrive, they might pull out a bag filled with spilled soup, a soda that spent the entire journey splashing around, or someone else’s order entirely. Delivery is always going to be a gamble.
But according to some women on TikTok, one way to guarantee that you receive a larger portion of food is to place your order under a male name. Below, you’ll find a couple of videos from women who decided to test this theory, as well as some of the replies invested viewers shared.
It's impossible to predict what you're going to receive when you order food to be delivered
But some women have a theory that Chipotle will give customers more food if their order is under a man's name
Image credits: @stylebynatalie
Image credits: @emilyjoylemu
Image credits: @emilyjoylemu
Image credits: @emilyjoylemu
Image source: @emilyjoylemu
Emily Joy showed viewers that "Andrew's" bowl ended up larger than the one ordered under her name
Image credits: @emilyjoylemu
Image credits: @emilyjoylemu
You can see Emily Joy's full video testing out her theory here
"There’s something to be said about linguistics and how our names impact our daily experiences"
To find out more about this topic, we got in touch with Natalie, one of the TikTok creators who tested this theory when ordering from Chipotle. She was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda and provide a bit of background information.
"I saw a TikTok about women changing their names on ride-hailing apps for safety purposes, and it made me wonder if we could apply that practice in other ways," she shared. "There’s something to be said about linguistics and how our names impact our daily experiences both implicitly and explicitly, so I tested out the theory on my Chipotle account, and ended up with a very full bowl and free chips."
"My post was intended to be a joke, and I didn’t expect it to yield the reach that it did, but clearly people resonated with the experience," Natalie continued. "I think we can all agree that getting a half empty bowl at Chipotle can ruin your day."
Unfortunately, women are used to being short-changed in all aspects of life
Image credits: Yunus Tuğ (not the actual photo)
Men typically need about 500 calories more than women per day, because they’re often taller and heavier than their female counterparts. But when we order food from a restaurant, there should be an understanding that everyone is going to be given the same amount. Businesses should be consistent, and customers should always know what to expect.
According to this theory that has emerged on TikTok, however, women are being short-changed when ordering Chipotle. And while the sample size demonstrated in the videos is far too small to make any conclusions, it wouldn't exactly be the first time that women were given less than men.
In the United States, on average, women are still earning only 81 cents for every dollar that a man earns. Meanwhile, in the EU, the gender pay gap still sits at 12%. And this gap is even wider for women of color, as Black women in the United States have to work for 21.5 months to earn what white men make in just one year.
At the same time, women are often charged more for the same amount, or sometimes even less product. Have you ever heard of the “Pink Tax”? It’s estimated that women are paying 40% more each year for essentials than men, as products marketed towards women are almost always marked up.
This includes shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, fragrance, razors, moisturizer, face wash, cleanser, etc. Women also spend between $120 and $180 dollars on menstrual products every year, another cost that men don’t need to worry about.
Even if a woman wants to increase her earnings by landing a higher-paying job, she’ll be at a disadvantage during the hiring process. Unfortunately, gender biases and stereotypes still persist in many workplaces, meaning that companies sometimes hire less-qualified men over women who could easily do the job. And it’s even more challenging for women to break into male-dominated fields.
But inconsistent portion sizes is something Chipotle customers have been complaining about for years
Image credits: Mike Mozart (not the actual photo)
While we can’t say for certain whether Chipotle is actually putting more food in men’s orders, it’s understandable for these women to assume that they do. Many women spend their entire lives fighting for equality, so they’re used to having to advocate for themselves.
However, many commenters noted that they currently work at or previously worked at Chipotle, and they never noticed a customer’s name while preparing their order. Some noted that they simply tried to make the food as quickly as possible, only looking at the ingredients necessary. And others admitted that the size of a bowl might fluctuate based on what they had available and how closely their manager was watching.
In fact, inconsistent portion sizes is something Chipotle customers have been complaining about for years. In 2024, CBS News published a piece trying to get to the bottom of this, and they found that the biggest factor determining how big a bowl will be is actually just which location it’s ordered from.
Analysts ordered 75 bowls from 8 different locations around NYC, and apparently, some locations sent out identical orders weighing 33% more than the same bowl from another restaurant. Meanwhile, the biggest bowls came out to 87% heavier than the smallest bowls.
If you’re looking for another “hack” to ensure that you get what you pay for at Chipotle, some customers recommend filming the employee while they make your order. "The rumors are true. I held my phone up at Chipotle, and they loaded my burrito," one TikTok user noted.
We would love to hear your thoughts on this situation in the comments below, pandas. Will you try ordering your food under a male name from now on? Then, if you’re looking for another Bored Panda article discussing food delivery drama, look no further than right here.
Viewers had mixed opinions on the theory, as some were shocked and others noted that employees never look at the customer's name
