I been to 4 locations in 1 day:Woman claim Chipotle workers are lying to customers about vinaigrette

Photo by@notjezabelle/TikTok The Image Party/ShutterStock William A. Morgan/Adobe Stock

Imagine loving something and being used to it being available. Then imagine that’s been taken away from you.

That's the sentiment of a Chipotle patron regarding the chain's well-known vinaigrette. The dressing has been hard to find for her recently, even after visiting several locations in search of it.

Los Angeles-based creator Jezabelle (@notjezabelle) went viral with a TikTok that got 301,000 views as of Sunday morning. In it, she shares “I’m breaking up with Chipotle.” She notes that the bowls she orders just aren’t the same without vinaigrette.

No vinaigrette

“Honestly, y’all, I don’t know if I’m ever gonna eat at a Chipotle again,” she begins, then claiming there are “videos going around of workers saying that they’re never out of the Chipotle vinaigrette, that they just don’t want to make it.”

She then confesses, “That does make me upset, because once you have your bowl with the vinaigrette, you can’t have your bowl without it, right?”

She mentions that she drove to three out of four places in a single day, solely to attempt to obtain the vinaigrette for her bowl.

“Every single one that I would go to would tell me that they were out of it,” she says. “I find that very hard to believe that all of you are out of it.”

She recounted a recent story involving a journey to a first place that lacked it, and then to a second place. At the latter, she encountered a newcomer who confirmed they did possess it. Hoping to secure the connection, she placed an order for a bowl, aware they were running low on cheese, yet not bothered by that.

When she reached the checkout counter to settle the bill for the bowl, she discovered that a different worker ringing her out had previously said the store didn't actually have vinaigrette.

“I would not have gotten the bowl,” she revealed. “I would have had time to drive to another location.”

Instead, she lamented, “Not only did I not get my vinaigrette that I drove to a second location for, but now I also don’t have cheese. So this is great. The bowl was terrible. Unsatisfying.”

In closing, she says she no longer craves Chipotle.

But you can make it at home

There are numerous imitation recipes available on the internet for individuals looking to recreate the vinaigrette in their own kitchen. For example, Love and Lemons offer a recipe that includes chipotles in adobo sauce, avocado oil, fresh lime juice, honey, garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper.

Additionally, some experts who specialize in Chipotle suggest that it's possible to purchase it in larger quantities at a store by planning ahead. A member on the subreddit focused on Chipotle, r/Chipotle, shared, “Call ahead and ensure the general manager is present. Let them know you're interested in purchasing a certain quantity of vinaigrette and inquire if there's a way to fulfill that request.

“More likely it’ll have to be treated like ordering a catering,” that person added. “Meaning that you will need to make arrangements to come get it at least a day in advance. In order to have extra vinaigrette the GM will need to plan for the prep team to make it.
There’s also the matter of figuring out pricing which can take a bit of time to figure.”

But another respondent took issue with that advice. They wrote, “They can barely make enough portions in the morning to last the day, it’s not like they have a bunch of gallons back there you can buy. I guess you could try to prearrange something but the dressing doesn’t get made in large quantities.”

A different version of the recipe, which includes oregano, was also shared in that discussion.

What commenters thought

The topic inspired a number of commenters.

One claimed, “It’s kinda true but most of the time it’s not a ‘feel like it’ thing but most stores are just understaffed so nobody can step away to make more vinaigrette.”

Another declared, “I use to prep for chipotle and it literally only takes like 5 mins to make the vinaigrette.”

“Start saying that you used to work at chipotle and you know they have it and just have to make it,” one advised. “Apologize and say you know it’s annoying cause you used to hate making it too but it’s just so good.”

Another commenter assessed, “Doing all this for a tablespoon of oil and vinegar is insane.”