Great news: The Chipotle carnitas shortage has come to an end

Earlier this year, we broke down what was behind Chipotle’s lack of carnitas. The chain had to pull the braised and delicious pork from about a third of their locations, and back in the spring it didn’t seem like there was an end in sight. But great news, carnitas fans: The Carnitas Crisis is over!

Back in April, it looked like the popular Mexican chain wouldn’t find suppliers who met their ethical guidelines for pigs, including not giving the animals antibiotics and ensuring they have access to either outdoor space or deeply-bedded barns. With only about 5% of pigs being raised in these conditions,  there just wasn’t enough supply for Chipotle’s huge demand.

But after several carnitas-free months and making some important business decisions, Chipotle has found a supplier to help them get their carnitas game on point. This week, 90% of stores will once again have carnitas, and that final 10% should have them by the end of November.

The choice to stop selling Carnitas rather than lower their standards was an “easy one,”according to a press release from founder and co-CEO Steve Ells.

“We simply will not compromise our high standards for animal welfare … [We] want to thank our customers for their patience while we worked to address this issue.”

As they said on a webpage dedicated to the shortage, “When faced with a choice between serving conventional pork in some of our restaurants or nothing at all, we chose to not serve carnitas at all.”

While we’re super glad that Chipotle stood behind their guidelines and didn’t waver, we’re even more psyched that carnitas is finally back. So make some plans to grab a burrito this week, and enjoy some sweet, sweet carnitas!

(Image via Chipotle)