Why Chipotle always tells you 'guacamole costs extra'

Chipotle customers who order guacamole with their meat burrito, burrito bowl, taco, or salad are asked the same question every time.

"The guacamole is an extra charge. Is that OK?"

Guacamole costs about $1.80 extra on items with meat or tofu sofritas.

The question has given us T-shirts that say "I know the guacamole is extra."

Facebook groups and thousands of tweets also echo the sentiment.

YES I KNOW GUACAMOLE IS EXTRA

We reached out to Chipotle to see why workers are trained to ask this question.

"We don’t want customers to be surprised by the added cost, so we tell people whenever they ask for it," Chris Arnold, director of communications at Chipotle, said last year. "Not every restaurant charges extra for guac, so there may be customers who expect that we don’t either."

You can also elect to get guacamole instead of a protein, Arnold said.

While the practice might seem overly repetitive to loyal customers of Chipotle, the chain doesn't want to risk alienating customers or catch them off guard.

If a customer complained about the extra charge at checkout, all the customers behind them would be delayed.

Customers who don't want to be asked the question could try wearing one of these shirts.

Watch: Here's why phone companies like Verizon and AT&T charge more for extra data

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