Chipotle Mexican Grill is putting an end to a favorite customer hack.
Starting this week, the popular fast-casual chain began charging customers a slight upcharge of 25 cents for a side tortilla, which they used to offer for free upon request. The chain's app displayed a $0.25 charge for the tortilla as of Monday morning.
The free tortilla has long been touted as one of customers' favorite ways to get extra food from the restaurant. Many would order a burrito bowl with the free tortilla, yielding more food overall.
Some people shared their disappointment on social media after learning the news. "Tortilla on the side at chipotle is no longer free.. corporations rly go out of their way to hurt us," one person wrote.
Another added, "Don't talk to me i just found out chipotle doesn't give a side tortilla for free anymore."
A rep for Chipotle did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
However, Chief financial officer Jack Hartung told Business Insider in September that the company has been paying more attention to their ingredient costs amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, during which order-ahead and delivery options have become more popular.
According to Hartung, Chipotle employees have been able to be concise in portion control when preparing food for customers since they aren't feeling the pressure of customers watching them as they scoop the food.
"We're not restricting what the customer is allowed to do, either in terms of portion or in terms of adding additional ingredients," Hartung said. "But our portion sizes are much more consistent because there's not somebody pointing at every single pan … the crew will see just the way that a customer is looking at them and think, 'Oh, I better put another scoop in.'"
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