Customers Are So Mad About Chipotle’s Online Orders Scandal—WHAT Is Happening

Chipotle has faced shortages on key menu items like black beans recently, and now there are mounting complaints that the company is not handling their online orders and holiday promotions well. In fact, things have gotten so bad that employees recently performed a walk out at one of their New York City locations. We know this has been an unprecedented year for the restaurant industry, but even this seems unusual.

Chipotle customers and workers alike complained of how the Mexican Grill handled this week’s Halloween “Boorito” promotion. Both groups allege that the promotion, like other recent promos of its kind, crashed the app, caused unusually long wait times and ultimately led the workers to walk out.

If you recall, Chipotle’s annual Halloween “Boorito” promotion offers customers one free entrée item for $5. The promotion was moved online this year, and customers quickly experienced the mobile app crashing and mounting tensions at pick-up when their orders were wrong or substitutions–such as chicken for steak–were made by employees.

“It’s like being ripped into two,” Patrick Rodriguez, an employee of a Manhattan location of the chain told MarketWatch of the pressures to take incoming app orders amid supply shortages. “The orders wouldn’t stop,” added fellow employee Albert Morales.

“People would just stare at us, angry,” Andrew Luettgen, a former employee of a Bloomington, Indiana location confirmed. “Orders were coming in faster than they could be made. We would frequently see orders of 75, 80, 90 items within a 15-minute time span.” Yikes–that is so stressful!