Investing.com -- Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: NYSE: CMG ) has announced plans to hire 20,000 additional employees in preparation for its upcoming "Burrito Season," which is the busiest time of the year for the company, spanning from March to May. The hiring campaign aims to ensure all of its 3,700 restaurants are fully staffed during this period.

As part of its commitment to employee growth, Chipotle offers crew members the opportunity to advance to a Restaurateur position in as little as three and a half years. This role includes a potential compensation package of around $100,000 while leading a multi-million-dollar business. Currently, five of Chipotle's Regional Vice Presidents, who manage regions with restaurant sales exceeding $1 billion, started their careers as crew members.

To streamline the hiring process, Chipotle utilizes "Ava Cado," an AI-powered virtual team member developed in partnership with Paradox. Ava Cado uses conversational AI to interact with candidates, answer their questions, collect basic information, schedule interviews, and send job offers to selected candidates. Since its introduction in October 2024, Ava Cado has significantly improved the efficiency of Chipotle's hiring process, reducing the average time from application to job start from 12 days to four days, nearly doubling applicant flow, and increasing application completion rates from approximately 50% to over 85%.

Chipotle continues to prioritize the development of its employees as it works towards its long-term goal of operating 7,000 restaurants in North America. In 2024, the company promoted 23,000 team members, with 85% of all restaurant management promotions being internal. At the Field Leader level, a position responsible for an average of eight restaurant locations, 84% of promotions have been internal.

To attract talent, Chipotle is also launching new TV ads showcasing its real team members as part of the "Behind the Foil 2025" campaign. The ads feature employees who have been promoted from crew member roles to restaurant management, demonstrating the potential for career advancement within the company.

Ilene Eskenazi, Chief Human Resources Officer at Chipotle, stated that "Burrito Season" provides candidates with the opportunity to start and build their careers at Chipotle, emphasizing the company's commitment to efficient onboarding and shared values.

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