Wonderful company brought down by human failings
Pros
First, the food - you can feel great about the product you're selling, you won't have to tell your friends horror stories about how everything's REALLY made, and you'll be eating more free burritos than you can handle. Chipotle's menu is 100% solid. If you appreciate elegance and efficiency, you'll find something new to appreciate every day. Chipotle has considered every detail of their store to maximize efficiency and avoid wasted hours, and it's a pleasure to watch this finely-oiled machine work. Working in a well-designed, attractive store helps maintain a positive attitude on the job, as well.
Cons
It all depends on your manager. There's many things I could mention, but the biggest issue, which ultimately drove me away from Chipotle forever, is the draining futility of trying to move up in your restaurant unless your managers want to help you. They will repeat the mantra that it's all up to you, that you alone choose your path, but that's simply false, and should be obviously false to anyone. That mantra is a way to dodge commitment to less-favored crew members and nothing more. I switched restaurants about halfway through my 20 months with the company, and from then on I was stuck in limbo. My managers seemed content to trust my previously-learned skills absolutely when it would save them effort, but also seemed to lack faith in me when I talked to them about working towards promotion. I received little to no criticism on my work (in fact, only shallow praise) but apparently I still wasn't good enough. Nepotism can take hold very quickly in the high-stress environment of a restaurant, and unfortunately I have to conclude that's what happened to me. I saw less-qualified, less-committed crew members actively chosen (and "chosen" was a word my managers used, not me) for management development, even while I was brushed off with the patronizing idea that it was all up to me. In the end, I kept my mouth shut and just kept working for my $9/hr - an insulting wage for the hard work that crew members do.
