{"id":4273,"date":"2026-08-10T04:17:48","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T04:17:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hometransferguide.com\/?p=4273"},"modified":"2026-08-10T04:17:48","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T04:17:48","slug":"the-definitive-guide-to-burrito-inflation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hometransferguide.com\/?p=4273","title":{"rendered":"The Definitive Guide To Burrito Inflation"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The divide between the neoconservative Republican establishment and the insurgent populist right became even wider this week \u2014 over burritos, of all things. <\/p>\n

Read more \u2018DSA Is Our MAGA\u2019: The Democratic Establishment Faces A Reckoning<\/a><\/p>\n

Debate, predominantly online, broke out over the price of a burrito \u2014 and whether that price has risen at what would be considered a reasonable rate over time (hint: it has not). But more importantly \u2014 and something lost on many establishment free-market and neoconservative D.C. think tankers \u2014 the burrito discourse wasn\u2019t really about burritos at all. Rather, it was about the rapid rise in the cost of living the average American has experienced over the last decade or more.<\/p>\n

Burritogate began simply enough, with a tweet posted by Turning Point USA\u2019s spokesman Andrew Kolvet. <\/p>\n

\u201cOne of our TPUSA college students gave me his take on affordability: \u2018A burrito shouldn\u2019t cost $20,\u2019\u201d Kolvet wrote. \u201cYeah, a lot of this is a hangover from Covid and Biden-era inflation, but the lived experience is the same: It just feels like basic things cost too much.\u201d <\/p>\n

In understanding this debate, first things first. Is the cost of a burrito \u2014 I\u2019m going to use Chipotle\u2019s prices, since this is the price point around which much of the debate centered \u2014 actually $20? Yes and no.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The nationwide pre-tax average price for a steak burrito from Chipotle is around $11.68. However, the price jumps quickly the moment you pick any add-ons, like guacamole or the cilantro lime sauce, which can raise the price by as much as $3.15. Want double the meat? That\u2019ll be another $5.00 or more.<\/p>\n

In Chicago, for instance, the sales tax adds another $1.73 to $2.56 to the price. A Chipotle steak burrito in the Windy City could set you back anywhere between $16.18 and $23.91. And that is just for an order placed online from Chipotle\u2019s website and picked up in-store. The prices get much, much worse if you\u2019re having your steak burrito delivered by DoorDash or Uber Eats or any other courier\/delivery service. <\/p>\n

On the facts then, yes, burritos can cost $20 or more. Most Americans probably pay a little bit less than that, but let\u2019s be real \u2014 a $15.00 burrito is pretty ridiculous when you really think about it. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

By comparison, in 2011, a steak burrito from Chipotle cost \u2014 in most American markets \u2014 somewhere between $5.75 and $6.65. This data point has led to some claims that the price of a burrito has more than doubled over the last 15 years. <\/p>\n

In 2019, on the eve of the COVID-19 pandemic, a Chipotle steak burrito averaged between $7.58 and $8.45.<\/p>\n

Then came the pandemic, global supply-chain disruptions and the inflation surge that followed. Consumer inflation hit 7.0 percent in December 2021 and averaged 8.0 percent in 2022.<\/p>\n

Some price growth over time is normal. But even after accounting for broader inflation, the price of a steak burrito has risen by roughly another 20 percent \u2014 still an eye-popping increase. (RELATED: Another Key Inflation Measure Blows Past Forecasts)<\/strong><\/p>\n

The data aside, the online burrito debate hit high gear when American Enterprise Institute (AEI) resident fellow and Washington Post neoconservative columnist Marc Thiessen responded to Kolvet, writing, \u201cCry me a river. The burritos in the college cafeteria are included in your meal plan.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Thiessen \u2014 who continued doubling down on his stance in subsequent tweets \u2014 American access to fast casual dining is something that, apparently, should be accessible only to the very wealthy. Still, the Thiessen tweet was the spark that lit the fire. <\/p>\n

Vice President J.D. Vance weighed in next: \u201cI\u2019m surprised to hear Mark say this. If you\u2019ve ever met him in person, it\u2019s quite obvious the man has never missed a burrito.\u201d <\/p>\n

However, it was claims made by the Daily Wire\u2019s Ben Shapiro that sent the discourse into overdrive. <\/p>\n

Read more Scientists Raise Safety Concerns After AI Used To Design New Viruses<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cCurrent \u2018common good conservative\u2019 inflation messaging: $20 burritos are a human right but also every serious methodology for making them cheaper (i.e. kill the tariffs, break the unions, and deregulate the food supply chain) isn\u2019t America First, so we need to complain a lot about how America is cooked and then surrender to Iran,\u201d Shapiro, who brands himself as someone who employs only facts and logic, wrote. <\/p>\n

Pointing to tariffs or unions, as Shapiro did, is an old trope of the D.C.-centric establishment and free-market think tank crowd \u2014 most of whom push this view specifically because it serves corporate donor interests. The claim is demonstrably wrong. <\/p>\n

One, under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), beef and vegetables are almost entirely exempt from tariffs (except in extremely limited edge cases that would not affect Chipotle\u2019s pricing). Two, Chipotle is not unionized. Three, deregulation of the food supply chain in large part led to the consolidation of the meat processing industry \u2014 which a number of experts point to as being at least in part responsible for higher beef prices. (RELATED: Why The Trump Admin Shelved His Signature Trade Deal)<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Federalist\u2019s Sean Davis, meanwhile, rightly puts a great deal of the blame for high prices across the board on the Trump administration\u2019s war with Iran \u2014 and neoconservatives\u2019 radical foreign policy since 2001 in general. <\/p>\n

\u201cWatching neocons who spent nearly $10 trillion of other people\u2019s money to prosecute wars they refused to fight melt down for days over how people with real jobs spend their own money has been quite the education,\u201d Davis stated. <\/p>\n

Davis\u2019s point is a salient one. The Iran War has caused extreme volatility in energy markets and disrupted international supply chains and shipping. This has directly led to a rapid rise in costs for consumers. <\/p>\n

Beyond the economics of burritos, international supply chains, energy markets, and the Iran War, others have rightly pointed out that the debate is a stand-in for the erosion in \u201cparticipation in social life\u201d rather than \u201cexpectations about consumption.\u201d <\/p>\n

Outgoing Texas Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw \u2014 who lost his primary \u2014 best summed up the establishment stance, saying his opinion is for people to \u201cstop whining, get a job, eat Ramen like the rest of us did in college, on a budget with 4 roommates.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe market doesn\u2019t care what you think something \u2018should\u2019 cost. Only communists care (they set prices remember? Then everyone starves, remember?) Are you a communist? Or are you an American adult male capable of handling his own shit?\u201d Crenshaw added. (RELATED: Texans Give Boot To Dan Crenshaw In Major Upset)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Many social media users have noted that Crenshaw was vocally critical of runaway price increases under former President Joe Biden\u2019s Democrat administration but has now changed his tune with Republicans in control of the federal government. <\/p>\n

A number of social media users have also pointed out that the trope of \u201ceat at home and save money\u201d just doesn\u2019t cut it, as it fails to answer the real questions, which are: What are the cheap, egalitarian spaces that young people are supposed to hang out in? Where can they eat, drink, and be social?<\/p>\n

Ever reasonable, the Manhattan Institute\u2019s Christopher Rufo also weighed in, stating the obvious point:<\/p>\n

\u201cCrazy to see \u2018free-market conservatives\u2019 tell anxious young people to shut up and accept double-digit inflation, instead of taking the opportunity to explain that inflation is a direct result of bad government policy. It\u2019s perfectly fine to notice that burritos shouldn\u2019t be $20.\u201d <\/p>\n

Decades of overspending, loose monetary policy (think the Federal Reserve Bank\u2019s four phases of quantitative easing), and disruptive foreign policy adventurism have played a direct role in the erosion of the economic standing of many \u2014 and mostly young \u2014 Americans. And this past week, a steak burrito from Chipotle encapsulated that fact. <\/p>\n

Read more Senate To Vote On Massive Package Of Bills Before Heading For Exits<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The divide between the neo-conservative Republican establishment and insurgent populist right became even wider this week \u2026 over burritos.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4272,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[189,291,743,3672,81,82,886],"class_list":["post-4273","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting","tag-affordability","tag-chipotle","tag-economics","tag-grocery-bills","tag-inflation","tag-iran-war","tag-prices"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Definitive Guide To Burrito Inflation - Home Transfer Guide<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hometransferguide.com\/?p=4273\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Definitive Guide To Burrito Inflation - 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