Woman orders a salad from Chipotle and takes a bite. Then she notices something wriggling on her fork: ‘End of my love for Chipotle’

Morgan Devens, who posts on TikTok as @morgan_devens, shared a short video that has gained over fifteen million views. The clip shows an extreme close-up of what appears to be a Chipotle meal, with a black plastic fork dug into a mixture of rice, lettuce, tomatoes, and a creamy white dressing. Stuck to the tines of the fork is a small, pale, segmented insect larva that is visibly wriggling.

As the camera holds steady on the larva, the creator lets out a disgusted “Oh!” off-screen. The larva continues to move slightly on the fork and appears clearly alive. The shot remains tight on the insect for several seconds, emphasizing its presence in the food.

The camera then zooms out to reveal the full context. The meal sits in a white Styrofoam takeout container on a table next to an aluminum foil lid. The salad is a mix of white rice, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, and a generous amount of creamy dressing. The caption on the video reads, “this might be the end of my love for chipotle. @Chipotle.”

Viewers link the insect to an Australian beetle now in Southern California

One person who viewed the video claimed that the insect is a Eucalyptus Beetle. They wrote, “Thats actually a Eucalyptus Beetle and they are from Australia but have recently come to Southern California the last few years.” It is not the first time a diner has been startled by a creature in a restaurant salad, as seen with a Kansas City diner’s live bug in Chili’s salad.

According to UC Riverside’s Center for Invasive Species Research, the Eucalyptus Leaf Beetle (Chrysophtharta m-fuscum) was introduced from Australia into Southern California around 2003. The center states that it is a pest of ornamental eucalyptus and is not controlled by native parasites or predators. In Australia, it is commonly known as one of the eucalyptus tortoise beetle species.

The same source describes the beetle’s appearance and feeding habits. Adults are gray to reddish-brown and about the size of a big ladybug, while the larvae are greenish-gray. Females prefer to lay batches of 30-60 eggs on younger foliage, and the hatchlings feed gregariously on younger leaves, causing damage that can be quite extensive. The immature stages are daytime feeders.

The Center for Invasive Species Research notes that the beetle mostly feeds on landscape-planted blue gum in parts of Southern California. This includes San Diego, Orange, and Riverside Counties, and it has also become a pest of field-grown baby blue eucalyptus grown for cut foliage in northern San Diego County.

Other viewers responded to the video with various reactions. One commenter wrote, “That’s a good indicator that your vegetables are organic…” Another stated, “Extra protein.” A different person said, “We need to start cooking and eating at home.”

One more remarked, “Not every chipotle restaurant, but somehow always a chipotle restaurant.” Others have complained about the chain’s food before, including a California customer who walked out of Chipotle after seeing what was allegedly in his bowl.