The Chipotle Steak Bowl That Left Reddit Disgusted

Chipotle isn't new to controversy. In 2020, the company paid $25 million after more than 1,100 people became sick from foodborne illness shortly after eating its food (Via Food Safety News). Officially, the Justice Department charged Chipotle with violating federal law by adulterating food within a time period spanning from 2015 through 2018. The filing states, "In December 2015, a norovirus incident at a Chipotle restaurant in Boston sickened 141 people." The blame was placed on the company for not sending home a sick apprentice manager even after vomiting on the clock. 

Despite the outbreak, the company saw growth throughout 2020, according to Better Marketing. This was likely the result of its quick approach to ensure nobody else became sick. Restaurants immediately shut down, changes were made to food preparation practices, and paid sick leave was offered to employees. Still, no restaurant is perfect, which was made evident after a complaint made on Reddit last month. Along with this, take a look at the other scandals Chipotle can never live down.

A Redditor took to the platform on June 15 to make a complaint regarding the piece of meat they found in their Chipotle steak bowl. The post read, "What in the world. This was the 'steak' I got in my steak bowl the other day," and featured a photo of what appears to be a brown lump, for lack of better words. Commenters immediately voiced their surprise that an employee didn't see the odd piece of food, to which the OP replied, "Me too, considering that was most of the steak contents in the bowl. There was maybe two other tiny pieces aside from that monstrosity lol."

A Redditor that works as a griller was "saddened" by the discovery. "Steak is the easiest thing to make great too. It takes like a minute and a half tops to cook," they wrote. Unfortunately, according to another commenter, this is a common mistake at Chipotle. "I stopped getting the steak. Every time I get it I get weird chewy bits. It feel like the quality has gone down significantly," they said. If you're a regular at the restaurant chain, these Reddit users may advise you to steer clear of the steak the next time around or grill your own steak at home.