Chipotle to add Drive-thru lanes in about 60% of their stores & hire 10,000 more employees

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Chipotle to Hire 10,000 Employees as it Adds Drive-Through Lanes

Wall Street Journal

Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. CMG +1.15% said it expects to hire as many as 10,000 people over the next few months as it adds more drive-through lanes for people placing digital orders, another example of how restaurant companies are trying to reach consumers after coronavirus-related dining room closures.

Restaurants with drive-through lanes require more staff than traditional Chipotle restaurants, the company said Wednesday. Chipotle had 83,000 employees at the end of 2019, according to its annual regulatory filing.

With officials across the country closing dining rooms or limiting their capacity, fast-food chains with stores featuring drive-through lanes have fared relatively better than companies with restaurants focused on dining in.

Chipotle expects to include the lanes in more than 60% of new stores that it opens. During the first quarter, the company said 11 out of the 19 new restaurants it opened offered them.

The coronavirus pandemic has forced restaurant chains more broadly to rethink how to get food and drinks to customers.

Starbucks Corp. said last month it would open 40 to 50 pickup-only stores over an 18-month stretch even as it closed down some traditional cafes in the U.S. and Canada. Darden Restaurants Inc., the operator of Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse and other brands, has said it is enhancing carryout. Many restaurant companies have sought to bolster delivery options.

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