I have worked for Chipotle for more than 5 years now, and it used to be a pretty cool and diverse company- before going public, that is. Over the past 2 years, they have been systematically rinsing out the higher-paid veteran employees and managers, in an effort to scale back the pay. The post about 8 cent raises every 6 months? True! The post about trying to force out managers before the stock options matured? True! As a crew member, they will dangle promotion over your head like a carrot until you wise up. Depending on your reigon, there are many obstacles blocking your "road to Restaurateur". If you are African-American, you will face blatant predjudice from your fellow crew members and managers who are Hispanic. They only want to help their own kind get promoted. As a caucasian male and a manager, I found myself caught in between conflicts of this nature many times. Do you side with 75 percent of your crew, or do you do what's right? Many of the Hispanic general managers were gently reminded repeatedly to not hire Hispanics exclusively. Diversity is a goal within the company, but the glass ceiling is quite obvious. I won't even go into the Gay favoritism by Steve Ells (founder) and the other officers of the company. If you think they are teaching you to run restaurants, you are wrong! They are teaching you to run Chipotle. As a manager, you are constantly told to "train your replacement", guess why. They can force you out and then pay someone else who has never run a restaurant much less. This company has the cancer of "micro-management" running rampantly. It used to be different when they hired experienced managers that knew how to treat customers and were open to communication with their employees (not in broken English). These folks are almost all gone in favor of low-paid drones. I do think the food is great when its made the right way, but there is a fuckload salt added into most of the ingredients. The list? Rice, fajitas, both beans, chicken, steak, mild salsa, corn salsa, the salad dressing, the chips and the guac. The salt in the beef, pork, hot salsa, green salsa, both beans (yes twice!), and marinade is already added at the factory. In the training manuals, they tell you to "turn your back on the customer" when adding salt or oil. I cringe when I see a customer grab the salt shaker. Salt everywhere! The "naturally raised" "food with integrity" concept is a dynamic one, and there is a lot to be gained in the fast food industry by embracing it, but the new corporate culture they are fostering behind doors is a path to disaster. Look in the news, or online: the hepatitis a outbreak, the incident at Kent State (no need for the National Guard this time), the guy in California who caught a metal brush bristle in his throat, the people on ripoffreport.com. These stories are all the evidence of the ignorance you need. The majority of the Chipotle workforce come from areas and countries where handwashing and education about food and person-borne illness is virtually non-existent. "Don't drink the water!" amirite? Cleanliness is not the only side of the issue , if something does occur: the crew and/or managers are not capable of handling the situation. The culture and language gets in the way. We had to initiate a company-wide handwashing policy because of these reasons. Every 50 minutes, hands will be washed. Why do you have to force people to do this simple task? Think about it. I wish to remain anonymous, simply because I still need to work here to pay my bills. I hope this information helps people looking to work or eat at Chipotle think twice.