Dramatic shifts in weather systems and climate change in general have thrown the avocado market into a tizzy, and as Chipotle stated in its 2013 report, the operations-side fix may ultimately come to nixing guacamole from the menu completely.
“[I]n the event of cost increases with respect to one or more of our raw ingredients, we may choose to temporarily suspend serving menu items, such as guacamole or one or more of our salsas, rather than paying the increased cost for the ingredients,” it said. The chain uses 97,000 pounds of avocados every day.
Update: The so-called “Guacapocalypse” has been canceled, or at least postponed. Chipotle spokesperson Chris Arnold tells NPR that the wording in the report was part of a routine SEC filing pertaining to disclosure of risk factors, and that similar, previous price increases haven’t yet bumped guacamole from the chain’s menu.
Of course, the dreaded, fungus-spreading, avocado-industry-destroying Ambrosia beetle is still at large.
