ST
Sharniece Thomas
2 days ago
I am writing this review because what I witnessed at this Chipotle tonight was honestly unacceptable, and I specifically want management to pay attention to Stefan.
The line was extremely long, especially considering it was close to closing time. There was no promotion, discount, or special event happening that would explain the ridiculous wait. What made it worse was watching one employee, Stefan, essentially carry the entire food line by himself.
I watched him work from the very beginning of the line — bowls and entrees — all the way down through the toppings, guacamole, chips, and everything else. He was moving as quickly as he could, but there is only so much one person can physically do.
Meanwhile, there were other employees in the restaurant. I understand that they may have had other responsibilities, and I’m not going to pretend I know exactly what every employee was assigned to do. But as a customer, the lack of teamwork was impossible to miss. When you have a line that long and one employee is visibly struggling to keep up, somebody should be stepping in to help.
There was also a young lady working the register. Again, I don’t know what her specific responsibilities were, but watching one person struggle to serve an extremely long line while additional employees were moving around the restaurant was frustrating to see.
And here’s the part that really got to me: Stefan was sweating so badly from working that hard that every few items he had to step away briefly to wipe his face so he wouldn’t be dripping sweat into people’s food. That’s how hard this young man was working. He wasn’t standing around. He wasn’t moving slowly. He wasn’t ignoring customers. He was doing his job.
I wanted to say something while I was inside, but I chose not to cause a scene or get into an argument with employees who were simply doing what they were told. Instead, after I paid for my bowl, I privately handed Stefan a $20 bill because I wanted him to know that somebody noticed his effort.
But Chipotle management needs to ask themselves a serious question:
Why was one employee working that hard while the line continued to grow?
If Stefan was expected to handle that entire line alone, that’s a management problem. If other employees were available but weren’t being utilized to help control the line, that’s also a management problem. Either way, the customer should not be watching an employee practically run himself into the ground just to keep the restaurant functioning.
I’m not writing this review to attack Stefan or the other employees. I’m writing it because Stefan deserved better support from his team and from management.
Chipotle talks about teamwork and customer service, but tonight I didn’t see much teamwork. I saw one young man doing everything he could to keep the line moving while customers waited and waited.
And the crazy part? The line was still extremely long when I got back to my car and started writing this review.
Management needs to do better. Staff your restaurant appropriately. Pay attention to what’s happening on your line. And when one employee is clearly overwhelmed, don’t make him carry the entire operation by himself.
As for Stefan: thank you for working as hard as you did tonight. You were noticed, you were appreciated, and you absolutely deserved that $20.
Stefan wasn’t the problem tonight. From a customer’s perspective, the lack of support around him was.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ For Stephan!!!!
No Star for Chipotle as a whole!!