ChipotleNot to get all overzealous, but there's some really bad news on the food front today.
According to, well, eaters all over America, Chipotle is in the middle of a near-crisis level carnitas shortage. We repeat: Chipotle is having a carnitas shortage.
Restaurants across the country—nearly one-third of Chipotle locations—are completely out of the delicious filling, with no end to the pork drought in sight. Chipotle confirmed the news to BuzzFeed, apologizing for the shortage and admitting that they "just aren't sure" how long it will take to reinstate carnitas.
However, a rep did offer up a pretty good reason for all the disturbing turn of events. The restaurant has long been known for its commitment to sustainable ingredients and ethical practices, and the team has apparently been unable to secure meat that lives up to its "responsibly raised" standards. Pork supplies are required to provide pigs access to the outdoors and refrain from the use of antibiotics, and Chipotle was forced to drop one of the suppliers for failure to comply. In other words, be mean to pigs, say sayonara to the big bucks from Chipotle.
Now, clearly, this is a pretty darn good reason to disrupt the snacking of your loyal fans. The restaurant's reps told BuzzFeed that they hope people understand their reasoning, and can appreciate the company's standards.
According to our sources in the field (read: Twitter), some citizens are thankful to Chipotle for taking the high road, some are pissed about the sudden disappearance of their favorite filling, and some are just really hungry because chicken burritos just aren't the same. We'll keep you posted on any pork-related developments, but in the meantime it might be a good opportunity to try your luck with tofu—the other, other white meat.
And speaking of tofu, if you order a Chipotle sofritos burrito on Jan. 26, you can get a free meal, on the house, totally comped. It might be a delicious way for Chipotle to distract us from the pork shortage. Whatever, consider us deliciously distracted.