If you’re like me, you’ve eaten enough Chipotle to send your colon into an early grave. Sometimes, nothing hits the spot like tightly-packed Mexican explosion in your mouth, which will eventually turn into an explosion in your toilet. Nonetheless, even Chiptole’s seasoned veterans may not know that there is more to meets the eye than the listed menu items and some customers’ ingredient choices are simply head-scratching.
Devin Caldarone, an former Chipotle manager of six years, recently opened up to Thrillist about the inner-workings of America’s favorite Mexican fast casual joint, and the revelations range from tasty to flat-out nauseating. Check out the full interview here, or read the cliff notes version below.
The Best Chipotle Combination Offering
Caldarone — who claims to have tried almost every possible ingredient permutation — says the best combination is corn tortilla steak tacos with peppers and onions, hot salsa, sour cream, cheese, and lettuce.
The Best Authorized Off-Menu Offering
The best authorized off-menu (more on that below) item is the quesarito — a cooked quesadilla that is reopened and made into burrito. “Try it with guacamole, rice, pinto beans, half steak-half carnitas, corn salsa, hot salsa, sour cream, and cheese,” suggests Caldarone.
The Weirdest Frequently Asked Topping
Customers request one particular off-the-menu item in their burritos with alarming frequency: ice. “I have no idea why people asked for this, but it was a thing. Maybe they liked their burrito cold, but they’d ask to put a few ice cubes in it. Sometimes it was a veggie burrito so maybe they thought that would keep the veggies fresh or cold, but it was just going to make it soggy. That was gross.”
Just The Tip
The best secret hack is to get a bowl with tortillas on the side to make your own two burritos. “Generally, bowls get more food fillings like rice and beans, just not the meats. And extra rice, beans, and salsas are free, so fill up,” our man says.
To read more about the inner working of Chipotle, head over to Thrillist.