Chipotle Drops the Rice and Picks Up the Dumbbells After a 37% Stock Slide

Where were you guys on telling me that Chipotle’s big comeback plan for a horrendous 2026 is leveraging their guac AI robots removing most of the burrito?

Because that’s apparently the move.

Chipotle just announced it’s rolling out a new high-protein menu on Dec. 23, and the flagship item is essentially a chicken bowl that politely asks rice, lettuce, tomato, and joy to step aside. It’s protein season now. Everything else is just garnish.

The lineup includes two high-protein bowls, a salad, a burrito, and an adobo chicken taco… all ranging from 15 grams to a chest-day-approved 81 grams of protein. But the real head-turner? Chipotle’s first-ever “snack,” is a four-ounce cup of chicken you can buy solo or add onto an order for an average of $3.82 nationwide.

Yes. We’ve officially arrived at the point where Chipotle is selling meat like a gym supplement.

And honestly? I didn’t know that was a thing. In the words of #45 (and now #47), “Wow. I didn’t know that, you’re telling me now for the first time.”

The timing here is no Knives Out level mystery. Chipotle’s stock is down nearly 40% in 2025, and the sales numbers read like a slow leak that turned into a flat tire. Same-store sales fell 0.4% in Q1, then dropped another 4% in Q2. 

And sure, the most recent quarter technically showed a 0.3% increase… but that was price hikes doing the brunt of the work. Actual customer transactions declined. Translation: fewer people are showing up, they’re just paying more when they do.

Surprisingly, CEO Scott Boatwright has been pretty honest about what’s going on (though it’s easy to be honest when you’re using an excuse). 

He says “persistent macroeconomic pressures” are b****slapping customers… especially low and middle-income households, which make up about 40% of Chipotle’s sales. 

(Source: Yahoo Finance)

And the most stressed group? You guess it… the 25-to-35-year-olds. You know, the exact people who built Chipotle’s brand.

To be fair, this age group is getting dealt a bad hand. Look at average wages and then pull up Zillow and it will tell you the whole story. Boatwright straight up said Q1 2026 is expected to be the toughest stretch for these customers (not sure why, but he’s already setting expectations low).

So what do you do when your core customer is broke, tired, and still wants abs? You sell protein.

About 70% of Americans now say they’re prioritizing protein intake, and Chipotle clearly noticed Sweetgreen flexing with its 106-gram protein bowl earlier this year. Fast casual has officially entered its lifting era.

(Source: Delish)

Cava’s CEO echoed the same thing… younger diners are pulling back, visiting less often, and complaining about prices.

The idea seems to be this: if customers are cutting back on visits, make the ones that happen feel efficient. Less rice, less filler, more chicken (so that gym bros will think they’re getting maximum gains). Not exactly a galaxy-brain idea, but far from dumb.

Will it work? Hard to say. A cup of chicken isn’t exactly a recession-proof miracle. But it does show Chipotle understands the problem and is trying to do something about it.

At the time of publishing this article, Stocks.News doesn’t hold positions in companies mentioned in the article.