Chipotle Ethical Issues

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As I open the doors to Chipotle, the mouthwatering scent of cumin, oregano, and bay leaves from the marinated protein wafts toward my nose and I step inside the restaurant, allowing myself to be fully immersed in the aroma of mixed spices. I make my way toward the surprisingly short line of ravenous customers anxiously waiting their turn to be served at the next station. I survey the restaurant’s menu above and am met with a few alterations that catch my interest. My eyes scan over the food options, ignoring the selection of rices, meats, and salsas that I can recite in my sleep, and analyze the numbers to the right of the delicious choices. There is an obvious increase in the price of guacamole, but upon further inspection, I notice that the …show more content…

According to the New York Post, 10,000 workers sued the fast food restaurant for wage theft in 2014. Those involved in the class action lawsuit claimed that Chipotle failed to compensate employees for working overtime. Furthermore, three female managers from three different restaurants filed a lawsuit against the company for being fired due to gender discrimination. Specifically, one of the three women was fired after returning to work from a three month maternity that involved the death of one of her twins. The Mexican grill is also under federal investigation for the wrongful termination of 450 undocumented workers in Minnesota. Unlike Patagonia, a business that preaches honesty and truthfulness, Chipotle appears to deviate from these values when it comes to the labor force. When Patagonia discovered human slaves in their supply chain, the company directly addressed the issue by publicly informing customers of its findings, outlining new employment standards, and demanding suppliers to compensate workers for their labor. Meanwhile, Chipotle approached the situation in a different manner by straight out denying the accusations, claiming, “A lawsuit is nothing more than a collection of allegations and, in this area, most of those suits do not go anywhere” (Fickenscher). The spokesperson essentially insinuates that the company has no regard for the wellbeing of its employees until the issue financially affects business on a greater scale. Chipotle took advantage of the fact that the lawsuits were not as publicized and scrutinized by the public and decided to take no action on the matter. However, when the E.coli breakout occurred, the company suffered from extreme financial loss reputation damage. In response, Chipotle established a loyalty program called Chiptopia and offered several BOGOs throughout the year following its contamination

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