6 Pieces Of Insider Intel Commandeered From An Ex-Chipotleer — NEVER, EVER Get The Lettuce

“Lettuce. Seriously.

 

Washing the lettuce takes forever, and those in the back are on super strict time tables. Sometimes, read: 95% of the time, they don’t wash it thoroughly. Not only is it dirty and grimey as all hell, but we used to find bugs in it all the time. Both alive and dead. Just. Don’t get the lettuce.

 

Most everyone adds lettuce. It’s pretty awful, I could never say anything.”

2. Barba…bag?

Q: How do you make that delicious barbacoa?!

“Truthfully the barbacoa isn’t marinated or anything in-house. Nor are the carnitas. Everything else is, however. The barbacoa comes in these plastic bags that they stick in this thing called a rethermalizer (much like at taco bell) which is just a big thing of hot water, for 45 minutes. They open the bag and pull apart those strings of barbacoa into a pan and put it on the line.”

3. Guac It Up.

Q: $1.80 for guacamole. WTF is that about??

“Honestly I don’t even work there anymore, nor do I particularly care for the company. But I don’t think they charge enough for guac. It’s made fresh every day, and it takes WORK to make it. Cutting avocados in half, pitting them, scooping out all the meat, dicing the onions, dicing the jalapenos, mashing it (total workout), packaging it for the line, etc x8.

 

Think about it like this, an organic avocado at Whole foods costs $2. Chipotle charges $1.80 for 2 avocados worth of guac, labor, and all the other ingredients.”

4. Secret Recipes.

Q: What’s in the guac? Avocados, red onions, and cilantro are obvious, but what else goes in it?

“Avocados (48 normal sized), Red onions (2 1/2 cups diced), Cilantro (2 1/2 cups 1/4” flake), Jalapenos (1 cup diced), Lime juice (Citrus juice, 1/2 cup), Salt (3 tbsp).

 

That’s the recipe, it’s up to you to reduce it.”

Q: I have been wondering this forever. Please answer me! TELL ME HOW TO MAKE THE RED TOMATILLO SALSA!

“It’s just pico de gallo. Tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and jalapenos.”

5.Fresh…NOT

Q: What’s wrong with the fresh tomato salsa?

“It’s not fresh, yet it’s the only thing they advertise as “fresh” on the line, whereas many other things on there are made in house that day.”

6. FREE STUFF!

Q: If you get take out a lot, is it a big deal to take a bottle of the chipotle Tabasco sauce if you have run out of the last one you took home?

“Take all the Tabasco sauce you want. Chipotle gets them for like 3 cents a bottle and they receive huge pallets of the stuff twice a week. Of course, try to be at least kind of slick about it.”

Q: Any tricks so I can get some more chicken underneath the table?

“Go during peak hours. There’ll be a bunch of people working, the likelihood of ‘this guy got extra meat’ reaching the register is next to none. Keep quiet about it and it’s the perfect crime.”