Thousands of people across the country were expected to line up at Chipotle restaurants Wednesday for “National Career Day,” hoping to land one of 4,000 new jobs at the Mexican fast-food chain.
Doors to every Chipotle location in the U.S. were open between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m., where 30,000-40,000 applicants were expected to show; over 60,000 people preregistered to interview for the entry level positions, but even people who didn’t preregister could walk in for an interview.
Chipotle has been known to be a progressive fast-food business. It has not franchised in an effort to continue its commitment to sustainable ingredients, as well as maintain control over wages and benefits for employees. It recently announced that all workers, salaried and hourly, will receive paid vacation time and sick leave, as well as tuition reimbursement.
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Chipotle was prepared to hold up to 60 interviews at each of its 1,800 locations across the country, increasing its workforce by almost 7%. Some were hired on the spot Wednesday, but others must wait to see if they are contacted within 48 hours to return for a second interview. Chipotle announced the hiring plan two weeks ago, causing a huge media buzz. They launched a website for people to pre-register, advertising the chance to be promoted to a management role. The company has promoted over 10,000 employees to management positions in the last year. Chris Arnold, director of communications for Chipotle, told msnbc that the company does not have details yet about how many people were officially hired. The company is also not discussing details about which locations had the most interviews or hires.
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