You're Not Going Crazy: 7 Ingredients Chipotle Employees Give You Less Of
You're not going crazy; keep your eye on the steak, sour cream and guac.
— -- If you’re a rabid Chipotle lover, then chances are you've noticed that employees can be a little ... thrifty when it comes to certain ingredients. Turns out you’re not nuts.
The Wall Street Journal writer Sarah Nassauer got a glimpse inside the complicated world of Chipotle, and the results were certainly revealing.
There are seven “critical” ingredients that employees are trained to serve smaller portion sizes of than foods like rice, beans and salsa, according to Nassauer.
Steak, carnitas, barbacoa, chicken, cheese, guacamole and sour cream are served in less than full scoops, and if customers request more, employees must inform them there is an extra charge.
“Our menu prices are based on food costs, and the ‘critical seven’ are ingredients that are much more expensive (things like meat and cheese),” Chipotle communications director Chris Arnold told ABC News. “Employees have more latitude with ingredients like rice and beans and salsa, but we try to be more mindful of serving sizes with the more costly ingredients. But, prices are based on prescribed serving sizes of every ingredient.”
Those prescribed serving sizes are four ounces of meat and rice, two ounces of green or red salsa and a one-ounce pinch of cheese or lettuce, according to an employee handbook that describes the “art of portioning.”
“Chipotle employees get extensive training and training materials to support the things they are taught,” Arnold said.
In order to keep those employees in check, Chipotle employs “restaurateurs,” or especially good restaurant managers who receive stock options, a higher salary than a general manager plus a company-owned Toyota Prius. Restaurateurs are evaluated on how well his employees develop and perform, and every two weeks they meet with employees to discuss everything from how work is going and how other employees are performing to their personal lives.
So next time you’re building your perfect burrito, notice your portions and keep an eye out for restaurateurs.