Many of us have been met with the familiar feeling of a lingering hunger even after we finish a meal from a fast-casual restaurant.
Sometimes we may simply underestimate how good a meal might be. Other times, we underestimate our hunger level, and order popular smaller-portioned millennial favorites, such as acai bowls, smoothies, salads, or girl dinners. The fact of the matter is, sometimes a second helping just beckons.
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What to do, though, when we're dining out, and we can't just order a second serving?
One resourceful nanny in Northern Virginia seems to have figured out the solution.
Hayley Malinowski, a 20-year-old nanny from outside the D.C. area went viral on TikTok this month after sharing with her followers how she stretches one simple Chipotle (CMG) -) order into four individual portions.
She begins with a simple and straightforward order many of us are familiar with at the Mexican fast-casual chain: a chicken burrito bowl, which typically consists of chicken, some rice and beans, and maybe a few additional veggie toppings.
But, she says, to maximize her order, she adds extra fresh tomato salsa, roasted chili-corn salsa, romaine lettuce, sour cream, cheese, fajita veggies and tomatillo-green chili salsa. She also adds additional rice and pinto beans -- which are both free.
"So, I go to Chipotle all the time," Malinowski explains in her now-viral video, which has since been viewed over half a million times.
"And this is how much food I got," she said, holding up a plastic container filled to the brim with additional portions.
"I don't get any extra protein, I get a normal amount of protein, but I get extra sides," she explained. "And it's free. All this costs $9.18. I mean -- that's free food! This is like four meals for me. So, here's my little hack and I'll share it with you."
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Malinowski said she hasn't had any issue ordering the supersized meal at Chipotle yet, adding she usually orders through the app for pickup. That way, she doesn't need to deal with the prying eyes of customers or wary employees.
As for Chipotle itself, the popular chain corroborated Malinowski's claims, saying free toppings are free toppings. It did add, however, that customers should be considerate of others and take wastefulness and others' time into consideration.
"The Chipotle app and Chipotle.com allows users to make any ingredient light, standard, or extra at no additional charge, however, we have a maximum of three sides per entrée as it increases environmental waste and results in a poor experience for our food, our employees and our customers waiting for orders," Chipotle said.
Chipotle hacks take over the internet
Some toppings at Chipotle do cost extra. As we all know, guacamole costs extra, as does queso blanco, side tortillas, and extra protein (such as chicken, carnitas, and barbacoa).
Of course, Malinowski's so-called hack isn't the first at the chain. In summer 2022, the $3 burrito hack took TikTok by storm, as some users claimed they were able to order one single taco with extra sides, thereby creating a deconstructed burrito (Chipotle has since put an end to the trend.)
And in January, other hungry customers claimed they were able to recreate a popular Philadelphia-style cheesesteak by ordering a steak quesadilla with fajita veggies, sour cream, cheese, and the honey vinaigrette to dip it in. Chipotle later leaned in to the trend, officially adding the item to menus in March.
