Has Mobile Ordering Gone Too Far? Many Customers Are Fed Up

Some Chipotle locations only accept orders from your phone.

We’ve all probably used mobile ordering at some point. It’s fast, it’s easy. What more could you ask for? Well, it turns out that some customers are beginning to notice the downsides of ordering food on their phones.

Mobile ordering is bizarrely now the only option at some restaurants. A recent TikTok detailed one user’s experience at a Chipotle location that doesn’t take in-person orders has received nearly 5,000 comments from irritated customers. This particular Chipotle only accepts mobile orders from an app on your phone.

In his viral video, @yuvilite revealed that he visited his local Chipotle to order a chicken bowl and was shocked at what the server told him once he attempted to order the item.

“I get to the front of the line and the server’s like, ‘How can I help you?’ And I’m like, ‘I’d like a chicken bowl.’ And the server just looks at me and says, ‘No, you can’t order here,'” he said.

The video went on to explain that the server informed him that “we only do mobile orders” and that he has to order from his phone… at an in-person Chipotle.

People in the comments pointed out that the peculiar policy discriminates against those without phones and even the elderly.

“Crazy! I feel sad for the senior citizens that can’t use apps,” one person wrote.

“My parents don’t have smartphones and they’re always complaining about situations like this,” another user added.

Not only does mobile ordering prevent those without phones/data plans from placing an order, it also limits those who don’t have a credit or debit card. Most restaurant apps don’t offer a cash option and require that customers pay for their mobile orders in-app with a credit or debit card.

Unfortunately, at this time, there is no federal law requiring that a restaurant or any other business accept cash. On the plus side, there is a growing list of cities, including New York City, that have passed laws or are working to pass laws that mandate accepting cash.

Many people in the comments even seemed eager to boycott Chipotle and any other restaurants that require customers to make orders on their phones. One person suggested that people “Don’t go to those locations” and instead “Make it lose money.”

The University of California, Los Angeles was met with criticism after implementing a program late last year that made mobile ordering mandatory at its dining establishments. UCLA’s student newspaper reported that the shift to mobile ordering ended up causing “more problems than solutions.”

And it isn’t just customers who are fed up with mobile ordering; servers are as well. On their end, mobile ordering typically results in a massive number of orders each day.

In one Reddit thread, a former server recalled the mayhem that occurred when a single customer placed an order for 200 burgers, fries, and about 50 pies.