‘You sure showed them!’: Customer speculates Mexican restaurant is reusing chips, uses ‘hack’ to sabotage them
Viewers are divided after a customer poured salsa on their chips at a Mexican restaurant to ensure the restaurant didn't reuse them. Do Mexican restaurants really reuse chips?
That question was posed—and went viral—by a TikToker in November of 2023. She pondered if the chips were being recycled after seeing just how many baskets of chips are getting placed on tables, with many of them going completely untouched.
It's this very speculative line of thinking that prompted another user on the platform to come up with their own solution to make sure chips aren't being reused on unsuspecting tables.
Amy Kidd (@amylynnkidd) posted a TikTok on June 14 that's accrued over 1.4 million views. The video begins with her recording a basket of chips along with a small bowl of salsa placed on a restaurant table.
"I literally just heard they do this and that is GROSS!!! Mexican Restaurant chips and salsa hack!!" she penned in a text overlay of the video.
She narrates off-camera, "So I've heard they reuse those chips so we're gonna solve that problem."
At this point in the video, Kidd picks the small bowl of salsa up and proceeds to dump it over the chips. "They're not gonna be able to reuse this basket," she says as she grabs the basket and begins shaking it around around to more evenly distribute the salsa she just poured on top of the crispy snacks.
@amylynnkidd I literally just heard they do this and that is GROSS!!! Mexican Restaurant chips and salsa hack!! #fypage #roadto10k #letsgoletsgrow #letsgo #fypツ #teamwork #chipsandsalsa #mexican ♬ original sound - Amy Kidd
Do Mexican restaurants really reuse chips?
A Redditor, who posted in the r/confessions sub in 2022, warned diners against eating the free chips and salsa that often comes before meals at Mexican restaurants.
"I have tended bar in multiple Mexican restaurants," they claimed of their credentials, adding they "have worked at both small, family owned restaurants and chains." "I saw this question raised on another platform and saw a LOT of answers all saying 'No! Never!' Yes, your chips and salsa are reuses."
They pointed to numerous past experiences, including being "made" to "dump the uneaten chips back into the chip warmer" by one chain.
"Its not exclusive to Mexican restaurants. That basket of rolls in a family style restaurant? The bowl of parmesan at a fancy Italian restaurant? ...once tended bar at a restaurant that would dump unused sides of salad dressing back into the vat," they continued.
However, there were a lot of folks who responded to this Redditor's post and stated this is certainly not the norm. "Most restaurants will not touch this. Source, 20 years in the industry."
People speculated that the poster must have just worked at "shitty" restaurants.
"I can confirm worked in 3 Mexican restaurants for long periods of time. This is not true," another said.
"Same, worked in restaurants for over a decade and this never happened," another replied.
TikTokers who responded to Kidd's video also seemed divided on whether or not chips were being reused in the first place.
"Wow, so classy. You really showed them," one person penned.
While someone else said that her "hack" didn't really work out all that well. "Jokes on you they can still make chilaquiles," another quipped of the chips and sauce breakfast dish.
People who have experience working in Mexican restaurants also said they have never recycled chips.
"I’ve work at a Mexican restaurant and never heard of this," one said.
"Bro what mexican restaurant are you going to, i've worked in a couple and we NEVER recycled chips," another wrote.
"I've worked at multiple mexican restaurants in 2 different states and we never recycle chips!!!!" a third exclaimed.
But as for Amy, she said she heard the information from a worker in her town. "A lady in my town told me she worked at one in my town that did. So I'm not taking any chances," she said in response to a commenter.
There were also those who seemed shocked people were leaving their chips behind in the first place. "I’ve never left a Mexican restaurant with chips or salsa left over," one said.
Another said, "Wait…people don’t eat all their chips?! Cause I do lol."
The Daily Dot has reached out to Kidd via TikTok comment for further information.
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