Great company and culture, but extremely hard work. - Anonymous employee Chipotle Employee Review

3.0
Jan 4, 2015
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

No prior experience needed to work there....just potential. They hire based off of 13 ideal characteristics so they can build an ideal team. They don't care about how you look as much as they care about you being a good person and a good worker....this is one of the only places I've heard of that allows team members AND management to openly display tattoos, piercings, plugs, etc....Team members are included in the hiring process and ultimately determine whether to hire someone or not. This creates a good team and fun work environment with little to no slacking/picking up the slack for other people. Also, the company has and abides by very high standards, so everything is cleaned and taken care of the way they are supposed to. The company offers dental and vision to part-time and full-time employees, as well as different healthcare plan options. You get free food when you work and 50% off when you're not working. Your 30 min lunch breaks are paid. They hire from within if you want to move up to management positions, and they train extensively for those wanting to be in management. Since the store was so short staffed, I got OT right away, and my managers are great with working around everyone's schedule.

Cons

This is by far the hardest job I've ever had. One reason is due to the fact that my store is very understaffed. However, we have interviewed tons of people, but because of their high standards, they would rather be short staffed with the right people than hire extra help that might not work out later. This can leave you discouraged by not being able to achieve company standards and expectations even though you are working your tail off for the company. Also because of their high standards, closing the restaurant takes hours, and even though we close at 10, I can bet on being there until at least 12:30am every night. They nit-pick at things like offering line items in a particular order or not rolling your burrito to a certain shape...which can be discouraging. Because of the "top performer culture", every thing you do wrong is noticed by your coworkers, and they make it a point to tell you what you're doing wrong every time...which can also be discouraging. In their defense though, they are just trying to make you better. Dishes are washed by hand, which takes forever, and you have to do jobs like clean out the drain socks full of muck and food and get on your knees to polish the sink pipes. Working the line means doing fast, repetitive motions for 1-3 hours at a time, leaving you sore long after your shift is over. Although breaks are paid, you only get one 30 min break when working 10+ hours (no smoke breaks), and you have to attend an off-the-clock mini meeting every night to reinforce company culture. Finally, most of the people that come through the line are rude, entitled, gluttonous, and cheap. They want a 2lb burrito and then complain about paying for guacamole. Overall, my coworkers and benefits are great, but the job itself is not so much...

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Pros

Fast Paced Environment good benefits with education

Cons

Can be stressful with rush hours and staffing

2.0
Jul 4, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
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Pros

Somewhat easy to pick up short term work, and depending on the location co-workers can be cool. The free meals are also pretty good, and there is a significant employee discount usually.

Cons

Extremely inconsistent experience between stores. One store I worked at had a really chill manager, while other ones would have management that made the experience absolutely miserable. I had one store that "unofficially" hired me for 18 hours one week and then refused to pay me for those hours, so I guess make absolute sure that all of your hours are recorded in their system. Because portions aren't standardized very well, a significant amount of customers will be angry at you if you don't give enough food, or if you give too much food your manager will yell at you. The fact that the food is made in front of the customer leads to significantly more negative customer interactions. If you do work at a Chipotle, make absolute sure it is one that isn't very busy, as it can be the difference between a relatively chill job and a stressful nightmare.

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