After high school, my son moved from working at Wendy’s to working for Chipotle. It was a fairly major change, as the Mexican chain actually makes all of its food fresh each day.
He would start his shift by frying tortillas to make chips, mixing guacamole, and prepping food for the grill. As the day went on, he manned the grill and tried to stay ahead of customer demand as the store got hit by both people in line and digital orders.
In that job, he learned the skills that translated to him becoming a line cook, and now a supervisor, at a sports bar chain.
What he did not get at Chipotle was much in the way of coaching or any help along his career path. That was disappointing, since he plans a career in the restaurant space, and the Mexican chain could have offered him a long-term path.
It’s hard to know if that was his location, which had a less-than-stellar manager, or a lack of corporate policy designed to develop workers.
Now, however, the chain has taken a major step toward creating its next set of top managers. Every company-owned store in the chain will be adding an Apprentice, a sort of General-Manager-in-training position designed to ensure the chain has the leaders it needs to meet its expansion goals.
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Chipotle rolls out its apprentice program
Finding competent leaders remains a challenge in the restaurant space.
“Recruiting and retaining was listed as the largest challenge at 32.9%, followed by food costs at 29.7% and sales volume at 18.5%. Recruiting and retaining the staff has remained a challenge, too, at 32% in mid-2024 and 27% in mid-2025,” according to a Restaurant 365 survey.
That’s a problem Chipotle has decided to be aggressive in solving.
“As the company works toward its long-term goal of operating 7,000 restaurants across the U.S. and Canada, it expects to open between 350 and 370 new restaurants in 2026. To enable its expansion, the company aims to place an Apprentice in each of its more than 4,200 company-owned restaurants by the end of 2027, strengthening the management infrastructure needed to support its growing footprint,” it shared in a press release.
The chain currently has an Apprentice, a manager training to be a general manager, in about 75% of its company-owned stores. More than 85% of Chipotle’s restaurant managers began their careers as crew members, according to the company.
“The Apprentice role serves as a critical bridge to becoming a General Manager, preparing high-performing employees to oversee restaurant operations, develop teams and uphold Chipotle’s operational standards. Chipotle’s career pathway provides employees with a clear roadmap to advance from crew member to General Manager — and ultimately into field and regional roles,” it shared.
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Chipotle shares how the Apprentice program helps stores
“Every Crew Member we hire has the potential to become a future restaurant leader,” Chief Legal and Human Resources Officer Ilene Eskenazi said. “Developing leaders from within allows us to create meaningful careers for our people while ensuring every restaurant is led by someone who understands our culture and our commitment to exceptional guest experiences.”
- In addition to building Chipotle’s pipeline of future General Managers, Apprentices provide additional leadership and staffing coverage during peak periods and weekends, helping teams focus on operational execution.
- The role also helps build a stronger team culture while delivering more consistent guest experiences across in-restaurant and digital occasions.
- By taking ownership of key areas, including training and the digital makeline, Apprentices allow General Managers to distribute responsibilities more effectively, improve digital execution, and consistently deliver Chipotle’s standards for hospitality.
- Restaurants with Apprentices also generally achieve better operational scores, which can contribute to improved restaurant economics over the long term.
Hiring remains a challenge for restaurants
While the economy has led to a better supply of applicants, restaurants have still struggled to hire the right people, according to the National Restaurant Association (NRA).
“While hiring is easier today than it was a few years ago, staffing remains a persistent challenge, even as restaurants continually bring on new employees. This is particularly true for key employees, such as managers, chefs, and other highly skilled specialists. At the same time, the industry is prone to turnover, so there is always a need to staff restaurants,” the NRA reported.
Chipotle’s Shelly Grange described today’s labor market to the NRA as “the big, scary stay” — a period marked by intense competition for talent, even though many workers remain hesitant to switch jobs. Despite broad economic anxiety, she noted that most Chipotle locations are adequately staffed, but demand remains high for specialized roles and strong managers.
Having adequate staff is key to growth, according to restautant operators surveyed by the NRA.
“The costs associated with turnover and lost productivity from understaffing also add to margin pressures most operators are feeling. Nearly 79% of operators who were short-staffed said it significantly limited their ability to grow and succeed,” the data showed.
Chipotle, with its Apprentice program, has made a decision to get ahead of the hiring curve. The chain has also invested in new technology to make its workers more efficient.
“Because we’re reinvesting the labor efficiency back into our restaurants, our crews can spend more time with our guests, strengthening hospitality and delighting them by being properly deployed during their busiest periods,” CEO Scott Boatwright said during the chain’s second-quarter earnings call.
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