Workers At Augusta Chipotle Stage Walk Out Over Lack Of Staff

Many people across Central Maine are fans of Chipotle's food.  For those who don't know, Chipotle is basically a "Subway" for Mexican food.  Through an assembly line system, they make custom burritos, bowls, and more for their customers.

Pick your protein, pick your rice, pick your beans, select your vegetables, etc.  Really good food, made fresh.  And, on top of that, it makes for a very affordable meal when you're in a hurry.

If you are a fan of the restaurant, you may have realized that the Augusta location seems to have had really limited hours over the last few years.

Like many businesses in Central Maine, and the rest of the country, the restaurant is dealing with a lack of workers.  While they have tried to hire, there seems to be a lack of qualified applicants.

According to the KJ, this lack of staff reached a head on Tuesday when the workers walked off the job.  Their primary reason for doing so was a lack of workers.  According to the workers, they sometimes have 1/3 of the needed staff to operate.  The workers say that this lack of workers can lead to proper safety protocols not being follows.  For example, work spaces not being properly cleaned.

According to the newspaper article, the workers have since returned to work.  This time, they reportedly have a full staff.

Ten of the location's workers have reportedly sent a letter to the chain's corporate office expressing their concerns.

The letter said, in part:

Prep work such as dicing and slicing vegetables is done in the kitchen during our busy times out of necessity, creating a hazard for crew members rushing to cover so much extra work around the knives. We work around equipment that could seriously hurt us if a mistake is made and some of the equipment is unsafe to begin with. Food is left on the steam table for too long, the (temperatures) go unchecked, and dishes pile up near the dish pit or on the floor, in our opinion potentially compromising food safety.

The current workers say they stick around because they have become a family.  They are reportedly discussing joining a union, as the workers at some other Chipotle locations have done.

Personally, I hope the staffing issues are worked out because I am a huge fan of Chipotle's burritos.