Chipotle Leverages AI to Hire 20,000 Workers for 'Burrito Season'

CHIPOTLE AIMS TO HIRE FUTURE BILLION DOLLAR BUSINESS LEADERS IN NEW 'BURRITO SEASON' HIRING PUSH

is looking to hire 20,000 additional employees for its upcoming 'Burrito Season,' the company's busiest time of the year running from March to May. Crew members at can advance to a Restaurateur in as little as three and a half years, with a total potential compensation package of approximately while leading a multi-million-dollar business. There are currently five Regional Vice Presidents at who started their careers as crew members and now manage regions with restaurant sales of over . 's AI-powered virtual team member 'Ava Cado' helps accelerate the time between applying and getting a job offer. The average amount of time it takes for a candidate to complete their application and start on the job is now just four days. , /PRNewswire/ -- (NYSE: CMG) today announced it is launching a new hiring campaign to increase applications and ensure its more than 3,700 restaurants are fully staffed for 'Burrito Season,' the company's busiest time of year running from March to May. is also rolling out a new employee benefit and TV ads showcasing its real team members to help attract talent for the additional job openings. With its focus on developing outstanding operators, is committed to growing its employees as it continues to pursue its long-term goal of having 7,000 restaurants in . In 2024, the company promoted 23,000 team members, and 85% of all restaurant management role promotions were internal. In fact, five out of 11 Regional Vice Presidents at started their careers as crew members and worked their way up to the senior level of operations, managing a region of the country with sales over . At the company's level, a leadership position responsible for a patch or an average of eight restaurant locations in a region, 84% have been promoted internally and they now oversee segments of 's business that achieve an average of in sales per year. and Paradox - Driving Efficiencies for In October last year, announced its partnership with Paradox to introduce a new platform that leverages AI to make the hiring process more efficient for its restaurant teams. The technology features a virtual team member named 'Ava Cado' who uses Conversational AI to chat with candidates, answer their questions about , collect basic information, schedule interviews for hiring managers, and send offers to candidates who are selected by managers. To date, 'Ava Cado' has made the hiring process more efficient for 's restaurant teams, notably: Shortening the average amount of time it takes for a candidate to complete their application and start on the job from 12 days to four days has released three new 'Behind the Foil' national TV ads featuring its real employees at its restaurants and behind-the-scenes footage of the company's kitchens and prep routines. All three employees featured in the ads have been promoted from crew member roles to restaurant management, demonstrating the potential accelerated career progression at : ''Burrito Season' presents candidates with an opportunity to start here, stay here, and reach their career goals with us,' said , Chief Human Resources Officer. '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.' Increasing Access to Mindfulness Beginning this year, all employees have free access to the critically acclaimed Calm app. Calm aims to help users sleep more, stress less and live mindfully with a range of science-backed content and activities for daily mental health support. More than 73% of 's restaurant employees are Gen Z, a generation that outspends older customers on mindfulness-related wellness products such as meditation classes, mindfulness apps, and therapy sessions1. Calm joins a growing list of 's industry-leading benefits that holistically support employees' financial, physical, and mental well-being. 's benefits include a crew bonus, which allows its restaurant employees the opportunity to earn an extra month's worth of pay each year; access to mental health care and English as a second language courses for employees and their families; tuition reimbursement and debt-free college degrees; free meals and more. The company has found its retention rate is two times higher among employees enrolled in its education assistance program and crew members participating are six times more likely to move into a management role. ABOUT (NYSE: CMG) is cultivating a better world by serving responsibly sourced, classically-cooked, real food with wholesome ingredients without artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. There are over 3,700 restaurants as of , in , , the , , , , and and it is the only restaurant company of its size that owns and operates all its restaurants in and . is ranked on the Fortune 500 and is recognized on Fortune's Most Admired Companies 2025 list and Most Influential Companies. With over 130,000 employees passionate about providing a great guest experience, is a longtime leader and innovator in the food industry. is committed to making its food more accessible to everyone while continuing to be a brand with a demonstrated purpose as it leads the way in digital, technology and sustainable business practices. For more information or to place an order online, visit Chipotle.com.

Chipotle Aims To Fill 20,000 Jobs Ahead Of Burrito Season: Details - Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG)

On Wednesday, Chipotle Mexican Grill CMG launched a campaign to increase staffing across its 3,700+ locations, aiming to hire 20,000 new employees ahead of the busy "Burrito Season," which runs from March to May. In addition to introducing new employee perks, the company is unveiling TV commercials featuring its actual staff members. These initiatives are designed to draw in more applicants to fill extra roles during the peak period of the year. Crew members have the opportunity to rise to the position of Restaurateur in just three and a half years, with a total compensation package potentially reaching $100,000. In 2024, the company promoted 23,000 team members, with 85% of restaurant management roles being filled by those already within the organization. Five out of 11 Regional Vice Presidents began as crew members and now manage regions that collectively bring in more than $1 billion in sales. "'Burrito Season' presents candidates with an opportunity to start here, stay here, and reach their career goals with us," said Chief Human Resources Officer Ilene Eskenazi. Also Read: Serve Robotics Rolls Into Miami's Food Scene, Stock Jumps Additionally, 84% of Field Leaders were promoted internally, overseeing segments that generate $24 million in annual sales. In October, Chipotle formed a collaboration with Paradox to launch an AI-driven platform aimed at simplifying the hiring process. With the help of a virtual assistant called "Ava Cado," the company has cut the average time for candidates to complete their application and begin their job from 12 days to only four. Furthermore, "Ava Cado" has increased the number of applicants and raised the application completion rate from 50% to over 85%. To improve employee well-being, Chipotle is providing complimentary access to the Calm app, which offers tools for mindfulness, stress relief, and better sleep. This is part of a wider set of benefits that includes mental health services, educational support, and tuition reimbursement. Given that 73% of Chipotle's restaurant staff are from Gen Z, the emphasis on wellness is likely to appeal to this younger demographic. Price Action: CMG shares traded lower by 2.13% at $52.66 at last check Thursday. Read Next: Target Hospitality Lands Multi-Year Workforce Hub Contract Image via Shutterstock. CMGChipotle Mexican Grill Inc$52.74-1.96%Overview Rating:Speculative37.5%Technicals Analysis660100Financials Analysis200100WatchlistOverview This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors. Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs

Chipotle adding 20K employees via AI-powered hiring platform

is launching an AI-powered hiring campaign to hire over 20,000 workers, ensuring that its 3,700 restaurants are staffed for "Burrito Season," the company's busiest time of year running from March to May. "'Burrito Season' presents candidates with an opportunity to start here, stay here and reach their career goals with us," , chief human resources officer, said in a company press release. "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." and Paradox In October last year, announced its partnership with Paradox to introduce a platform using AI featuring a virtual team member named "Ava Cado" who uses conversational AI to chat with candidates, answer their questions and collect basic information to make hiring more efficient. It has: , which hopes to have 7,000 locations in , is also rolling out TV ads showcasing its real team members to help attract talent for the additional job openings. Last year, the company promoted 23,000 team members, and 85% of all restaurant management role promotions were internal. Five out of 11 regional vice presidents at started their careers as crew members and worked their ways up to the senior level of operations, managing a region of the country with sales over , according to the release. At the company's field leader level, a leadership position responsible for a patch or an average of eight restaurant locations in a region, 84% have been promoted internally and now oversee segments of 's business that achieve an average of in sales per year. 's benefits include a crew bonus, which allows its restaurant employees the opportunity to earn an extra month's worth of pay each year; access to mental health care and English as a second language courses for employees and their families; tuition reimbursement and debt-free college degrees; free meals and more. The company has found its retention rate is two times higher among employees enrolled in its education assistance program and crew members participating are six times more likely to move into a management role.

Chipotle will use AI to hire 20,000 workers for 'burrito season'

Chipotle Mexican Grill is seeking to hire more workers ahead of "burrito season" - and it is embracing artificial intelligence (AI) tools to help streamline the process. The company announced the hiring initiative on Wednesday, setting its sights on bringing on board 20,000 more workers for the arrival of its "busiest time of year." Chief Human Resources Officer Ilene Eskenazi said the job opportunities offer "candidates with an opportunity to start here, stay here, and reach their career goals with us." "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," she added. Chipotle has capitalized on AI technology, including a virtual team member called Ava Cado, in its hiring efforts. That virtual team member has increased Chipotle's applicant flow by almost double and brought the average timeframe for an applicant jumping into their role after submitting their application down by eight days to four, according to the company. Chipotle said Ava Cado's capabilities include talking with candidates, answering their questions about Chipotle, collecting basic information, scheduling interviews for hiring managers, and sending offers to candidates who are selected by managers. The company's AI technology arises from a partnership with Paradox, a collaboration kicked off in the fall of last year. Eskenazi said at the time that the Paradox technology "operates as if we've hired additional administrative support for all our restaurants, freeing up more time for managers to support team members and provide an exceptional guest experience." More than 130,500 people worked for Chipotle as of the end of 2024, according to the company's annual report. Its workforce in America includes about 126,200 restaurant workers and nearly 1,600 people in restaurant support center and field leadership roles. The company is looking to eventually expand to 7,000 North American restaurants. It currently has more than 3,700 locations across seven countries.