We like that everyone can choose what they want & that you have healthy options as well.
The main problem is the cost.
As you know, if everyone gets a burrito or a bowl, for a family of 4, it can really add up.
4 chicken burritos = $8.90 x 4 = $35.60 + $2.94 tax = $38.54 x ~4 weeks/mo = $154.16/mo
Ouch!
It can add up, but it doesn’t have to.
We’ve come up with multiple hacks.
- Kids Meals
My 17-year old daughter often eats there with her friends & she recently told us that the kids meals have plenty of food and there’s not an age restriction.
One night our family of 4 all tried the build-your-own kids meal & we loved it.
It was only $5.50 each and it came with protein, two sides, chips & a drink.
Plenty of food for us!
That’s $23.82 including tax to eat out as a family of 4.
$23.82 x ~4 weeks/mo = $95.28 per month for our family to eat weekly at Chipotle.
Not bad, right? But it gets better.
- American Express Gold Card
My wife has this card and it gives us $20/mo for Uber and $10/mo for Grubhub.
We use the $20 Uber credit to order UberEats pickup at Chipotle and the $10/mo to order GrubHub pickup at Chipotle. Grubhub sometimes charges higher prices, but we’ve had success submitting a price match with Uber Eats and they give us credit for the difference on the next visit.
$95.28/mo - $20/mo - $10/mo = $65.28/mo for our family to eat weekly at Chipotle
- American Express Platinum Card
I have this card and it gives us an extra $15/mo in Uber credit that we apply toward Chipotle.
$65.28/mo - $15/mo = $50.28/mo for our family to eat weekly at Chipotle.
- American Express Gold Business Card
I recently was approved for this card and it gives you $20/mo at office supply stores. I’ve been using that $20/mo to purchase Chipotle gift cards at Staples.
$50.28/mo - $20/mo = $30.28/mo for our family to eat weekly at Chipotle
- Costco Gift Card
Costco has been running a special where you can buy $100 worth of Uber gift cards for $80.
We’re converting those to Chipotle purchases and it gives us essentially a free meal for all 4 of us for every $80 we spend at Chipotle.
$30.28/mo x 12 months = $363.36
If I pay for this with 3 $100 Uber gift cards that I paid $80/ea for = $303.36
$303.36 / 12 months = $25.28/mo for our family to eat at Chipotle
That’s just over $1.50 for each of us to eat when we eat there — crazy! 😲
**This assumes that the annual fees from the cards mentioned above are more than covered by their welcome bonus, points earning multiples, and other perks, which they certainly are for us.
Eating out is expensive & can delay financial independence. We try not to do it too often. But when we do, we like to try to find ways to hack it! 😎
No surprise, right? 😂