Burrito Season Is Here
Chipotle Mexican Grill is looking to hire 19,000 employees across locations ahead of the “burrito season”, the busiest time of the year for the fast-food chain. The jobs include both full- and part-time restaurant positions. As per a press release, in addition to hiring 19,000 new employees, Chipotle also added new benefits to "prioritize financial and mental health" of the employees. In January last year, the company launched a similar recruitment campaign for 15,000 new positions.
What is the burrito season?
As per the release, the “burrito season” runs from March to May and it has historically been the busiest time for the fast-food chain. The company typically witnesses the “highest volumes of sales” during the spring due to “seasonal factors” like weather, Erin Wolford, Chipotle’s vice president of external communications, told Forbes.
Last year, a spokeswoman of the company told the Wall Street Journal that better weather and more daylight bring more people to its locations. Further, the restaurants near colleges do more business as classes are in session as well.
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What are the new benefits that come with the Chipotle jobs?
The new benefits offered by Chipotle include a student loan retirement match program. In this, the company will match up to 4% of the employee's salaries to their 401(k) if they make eligible student loan payments, as per the release.
Further, the new employees will also get access to a Visa card for faster access to paychecks and banking from Cred.ai and Cred.ai's "Credit Optimizer”. Chipotle's New Employee Assistance Program will also offer six free sessions with a licensed counselor or mental health coach, as well as access to other tools and resources to take better care of the employees’ mental health.
Currently, Chipotle has over 110,000 employees across its 3,400 restaurants, most of which are in the US with only 40 in Canada and 26 in Europe. The company also added in the release that almost 73% of its employees are Gen Z, the cohort that’s 27 and under.
How much is Chipotle's pay and how to apply?
As per a separate release from Chipotle, the company’s starting wages for hourly employees were raised to $11-$18 per hour in 2021. Further, the restaurateurs, the highest general manager position in the company, earn an average compensation of $100,000.
Those who are interested in participating in the recruitment campaign can apply through the company's career website: jobs.chipotle.com or send the text “CHIPJOBS” to 97211.
Overview of jobs in hospitality
According to Forbes, the nationwide unemployment rate was at a low of 3.7% as of December 2023. Thus, several restaurants are struggling to recruit new employees despite the layoffs from the COVID-19 pandemic. This is because jobs in the hospitality and service industries have largely returned to pre-coronavirus levels.
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Further, as per Bank of America’s 2024 outlook for the restaurant industry, labor will remain a challenge. However, some businesses, have employed new tactics like raising wages, and adding benefits to ramp up recruitment efforts and attract new workers.
