A former Chipotle worker, claiming she gets “triggered” just thinking about aspects of her past job, shared thoughts about what she brazenly called “the worst job to possibly work” in a TikTok video that is now going viral.
The video comes courtesy of creator Leo Michelle (@_elle.michelle), who has drawn more than 300,000 views since posting it to the platform four days ago.
The TikTok starts with a stitch of a video from another creator, user Braden Galloway (@bradengalloway), who shared his frustration with not being able to order the viral Philly cheesesteak quesadilla hack.
“When Chipotle won’t let me order my steak quesadilla with fajita veggies & extra cheese, so I just get the bowl to not be difficult,” Galloway wrote in the on-screen caption, showing a Chipotle order before cutting to someone saying, “What the actual fuck.”
@bradengalloway How hard is it to make? @Chipotle yall gotta be better. @Keith Lee ♬ Um excuse me wtf – posts with 2% effort
Cutting away from Galloway’s video, Michelle explains the prep work that goes into a Chipotle worker’s day, how it’s calibrated based on the traffic coming in, and how the quesadilla hack that’s been the rage on TikTok over the last few weeks throws that calibration off.
It begins with her stating, “As a former Chipotle employee, it is not talked about enough, how that is the worst job to possibly work. I don’t care what anybody says. I will argue anybody down on this. I hold this true to my heart.”
@_elle.michelle #stitch with @bradengalloway Working for chipotle is 0/10 wouldn't recommend. #chipotle #chipotleworkerproblems #prepwork #fyp #neveragain ♬ original sound – Leo Michelle
Michelle explains that the location she worked at was just down the street from another Chipotle store. However, she says her location was significantly better due to the store’s quality.
She then gets into the meat of the argument: The undue stress that the Philly cheesesteak quesadilla hack has allegedly created for Chipotle workers, who as a result of the trend, are having to put extra fajita veggies and cheese on multiple orders.
“But them not letting your order those quesadillas …” she says. “I don’t think y’all understand the prep work that goes into Chipotle, and how much you have to prep according to how much traffic your restaurant gets.”
Then, looking affected by recalling the memory, she says, “I get triggered thinking about it… the prep behind it. The expectations are ridiculous.” She then stares at the screen for several seconds.
As if the video wasn’t enough to convey her feelings, the accompanying caption read, “Working for chipotle is 0/10 wouldn’t recommend.”
Some commenters came in mystified, looking for clarification on how hard it can be to prep for the quesadilla hack.
“Its a quesadilla not ratatouille,” one commenter observed. “Prep what? The tortilla? The cheese?”
The creator responded with, “You actually do have to prep cheese; it comes as a huge block and you have to cut and grate it, so yes.”
Some were more sympathetic, though, particularly those who had lived it. “It’s a lot of prep and I feel you,” one chimed in. “I’m a Chipotle cashier, but I see how much work preppers have to do just to KEEP UP not even to be ahead of trends.”
Another noted, “Prep is wild. As someone who worked there as a KM gotta cut about 60 pounds of red onions a day. About 30+ pounds of bell peppers,” before concluding, “It’s wild.”
Someone else naively observed, “Sounds like they need to hire more ppl for prep.”
The creator herself didn’t fault people for being curious about the quesadilla hack. But as she noted, “I’m not saying y’all shouldn’t be able to get them. I’m saying give Chipotle time to get the right amount of prep for it.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Michelle in the comments section.
