Chipotle Mexican Grill is rolling out a fresh hiring campaign to enlist 20,000 workers and ensure its restaurants are fully staffed for ‘Burrito Season,’ its peak operational period from March to May.

To attract top talent, the company is introducing a new employee benefit and launching a series of TV advertisements spotlighting real team members who have risen through the ranks.

Chipotle said its commitment to developing homegrown talent is a key pillar of its ambitious goal to operate its restaurants across North America.

The company’s track record speaks volumes: 23,000 promotions in 2024 alone, with 85% of management promotions coming from within.

Notably, five of its 11 regional vice presidents started as crew members, now overseeing regions generating over US$1bn in sales.

Meanwhile, 84% of field leaders – who manage clusters of eight restaurants, each generating an average of $24 million annually – have also ascended the corporate ladder.

AI-driven hiring with ‘Ava Cado’

To streamline the hiring process, Chipotle partnered with Paradox in late 2023 to introduce ‘Ava Cado,’ an AI-powered virtual assistant.

The conversational AI tool engages with candidates, answers queries, collects key details, schedules interviews, and even facilitates job offers. The impact has been substantial:

• The time from application to first day on the job has shrunk from 12 days to just four.
• Applicant flow has nearly doubled.
• The completion rate for applications has surged from 50% to over 85%.

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‘Behind the Foil’ adverts showcase career mobility

Chipotle has also launched three new national TV spots under its ‘Behind the Foil’ campaign to reinforce its reputation as a career accelerator.

These adverts offer an insider’s look at Chipotle’s kitchens while celebrating real employees who have progressed from entry-level crew members to management roles.

“‘Burrito Season’ presents candidates with an opportunity to start here, stay here, and reach their career goals with us,” said Ilene Eskenazi, CHRO, Chipotle.

“As current team members have demonstrated, our restaurants can be the foundation of a fulfilling career, and we’re committed to bringing in the best candidates who share our values and onboarding them as efficiently as possible.”

Expanding employee wellbeing benefits

Chipotle is also investing in holistic employee wellbeing, adding the Calm app to its suite of benefits.

Recognising that more than 73% of its workforce belongs to Gen Z – a demographic highly engaged in mindfulness and wellness – Chipotle is offering free access to Calm’s meditation and mental health resources.

This addition joins an already robust benefits package that includes:

• A crew bonus programme, offering restaurant employees the chance to earn an extra month’s pay annually
• Mental health support, English as a second language (ESL) courses, and tuition reimbursement
• Debt-free college degrees and free meals

Data underscores the effectiveness of these initiatives: employees enrolled in the education assistance programme are twice as likely to stay, while crew members leveraging tuition benefits are six times more likely to advance into management.

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A purpose-driven growth strategy

Chipotle’s dedication to ‘cultivating a better world’ extends beyond employee development. The company said it champions responsibly sourced, real food without artificial additives, setting industry standards for quality and sustainability.

With over 3,700 locations across the US, Canada, the UK, France, Germany, Kuwait, and the UAE, it remains one of the few restaurant chains of its size to own and operate all its North American and European locations.

Chipotle is gearing up for its busy season and investing in people, technology, and wellbeing as a recipe for long-term success.