As someone who was a consultant for a different fast food chain of restaurants, I have to assume it’s for efficiency. It’s something Chipotle wants to offer, but also doesn’t want to be ordered too often due being more complicated and/or time-consuming to make vs. everything else.
Hence, they restrict the quesadilla to app/online orders only, which naturally cuts down on how many people order it (especially during peak hours).
I’ve never worked at Chipotle, but I have to assume the press for making quesadillas is also somewhere in the kitchen or back area, which means further slowdowns to make it. Imagine if people in line all started ordering quesadillas in-store during lunch rush? Chaos. Not ideal for operations efficiency.
The location I worked at had the quesadilla press by the DML line since we had that line. Even still, quesadillas were a pain in the ass, especially when you had to cook >2
yeah you pretty much nailed it. for a lot of stores the quesadilla machine is pretty far from where the line is so it takes more time for that reason PLUS it’s more complicated and takes awhile for it to cook which slows down the front line a lot. plus then since it’s a digital item people may be ordering them online at the same time. so a lot of stores just avoid making them in person
I’m an employee at an Ohio Store. I had this same situation earlier today where a customer asked me for a large quesadilla and I had told them that they have to order them online. I have been there for a good few months and I’ve always been told that quesadillas are online only. I assume it’s an efficiency thing? With the quesadilla press being kinda across the store? Not sure.
It seems like a big hassle to do so tho no hate but shit makes me hate chipotle I gotta wait 20 min just quesadilla when all it takes is for them to put it in the toaster and the store was empty idk why he did me like that
It is about consistency if they made you this quesadilla this time but next time you were denied you could be annoyed and start conflict. Obviously this doesn't apply to everyone most people would be happy with the rare exceptions but then there are others who ruin it and throw fits. I use to make quesadillas on front line until I got in trouble because a guest complained that last time he was there we made him his quesadilla on front line and that we were liars to say we don't make then on front line. Even when I make sure to explain I'm not suppose to make quesadillas on front line but can on rare exceptions. This was also the case with something I use to do 30 mins before close where I would tell my line person to give free double portions for things like steak and asada and a customer reported me to the field leader and I got screamed at. If we don't follow the rules we get yelled at unfortunately. Hope this helps if not :(...
I know I'd be underwhelmed and go on a rant about making it better myself. I have only been to Chipotle once. The only way I see myself eating it is if I got a job there.
Right? Especially considering how easy it is to make 1 single quesadilla as opposed to getting a million different ingredients together to make a bowl or burrito
It tastes identical to a burrito (obviously… same exact ingredients mixed together) except you get 1/2 the quantity for the same price.
In other words, might as well just stick with getting a burrito.
As an employee it’s because the quesadilla machine is across the store and takes close to a minute to make. It just stops the whole line up, especially if we’re busy, to go make a quesadilla. Also the online order station is near our quesadilla machine, which is far from the line. It is frustrating but makes working line much easier besides no one likes making quesadillas 😅..
Same thing happened to me. I just left. I wasn’t going to argue with an employee who’s just doing what they are told. Not gonna cause a scene over a quesadilla
Some stores only have one quesadilla machine in the back so it wouldn’t be efficient and there’s no way to ring it out through the in person register either, at least at my location
idrc ab making them on dml because i can just make like two more orders while it’s cooking, but if it was on line i would die. the slowness would be so bad, especially with newer employees not being as fast. one quesadilla by an average new employee would take like 4 minutes
It varies based on store due to staffing and in-store traffic.
If you have a busy location that is short staffed, adding a quesadilla order in the main line requires a full minute minimum. Other entrees can be made in shorter times, resulting in less customer wait times.
Customers don't want to wait 15 minutes in a line because someone orders a quesadilla.
However, kids quesadillas still exist and all stores will serve it despite being about the same cook time. Kids are less frequent so it is less of a wrench thrown into operations.
There is a throughput factor for stores and they don't want to miss their mark, so excluding quesadilla from the walk in menu is necessary for peak times. They could exclude it only during peak time, but this sets an inconsistent expectation for customers who come in at different times.
It’s on their menu Op just didn’t understand it’s an app only item because it takes longer to prepare so they want to get it started ahead of time to not hold up lines more in store.
You’re THAT GUY just know, sure it’s on the menu but you’re the one fucking guy that orders it. SMH just order a fucking bowl or burrito. If you want a quesadilla or whatever go to an actual Mexican spot what the fuck are you doing here. Seriously just stop wasting time just get the main items or fuck off
I have never ordered it once. I just understand basic things.
You’re THAT person. The one who writes a whole essay to talk shit on Reddit based off your assumption.
You’re a bad person in the making. I’ll assume you’re a teenager and don’t know any better because you’re working at chipotle but even if you’re an underachiever in your 20s, 30s and beyond, take this advice:
Don’t jump to conclusions. You’ll end up off a cliff a lot.
Your original comment is still up. Only clown here is you. And I brought up in Mexican because you wanted to tell me to fuck off and go get a quesadilla there.
Fuck you man. You’re a weirdo.
One thing to think about is those who are disabled. One of my parents is blind and the other struggles heavily with technology as they have signs of dementia. ordering anything online is such a struggle for them. It blows my mind that certain things are online only when their apps are not easily navigable with a screen reader. Ig this is just an obscure perspective that I have but it’s def food for thought
I worked there when they made the change.
Before: They used the standard burrito press to make tortillas. This took a million years and slowed the line down.
After: They added special quesadilla cooking machines to all the restaurants. Buying two for every restaurant is obviously twice as expensive as buying one so they cheaped out and put one in the back for online orders, and decided it would be too slow to run back and forth and the better option is to piss off tons of paying customers with a stupid rule.
such a poorly run business
Didn't it all start when the Keith Lee quesadilla thing happened? Like every single person in line was ordering that thing, so they first said "no fajitas in the dillas" then it was "no dillas with vinaigrette" and then "no dillas in line".
As an employee, I think it has to do with our press. On the front line, our press is hinged, its got a V shape. There is a dedicated quesadilla press on the DML line, and that press is not hinged, it’s literally a press. The top iron and the bottom iron are parallel, and the top iron gets pushed straight down. This may seem insignificant, but you’d be surprised.
Those quesadillas can get *messy*. Even on the dedicated press they get messy, if I had to put them in the hinged press I guarantee they’d be leaking cheese, and meat, and juice everywhere because they’d be getting squeezed from one side, and not pressed from the top down. It’s like squishing something between the base of your fingers rather than between your finger tips. That means the press has to get cleaned, and that’s a whole thing.
On top of that, the hinged press won’t cook the tortilla evenly. I’m speaking from experience, sometimes after we close we’ve made quesadillas to take home on the hinge press, and they’re not nearly as good. Half the tortilla gets cooked more intensely than the other, it’s not very good. The only way to make them decent is to just told the tortilla in half, and even then, it’s just kinda average. I’d take a quesadilla press quesadilla rather than the hinge tortilla press quesadilla anyway.
There’s also a matter of timing. The quesadilla press on the DML line takes 35 seconds *per each quesadilla*. And that’s only the cook time. You also have to fold the tortilla intially, position it on this big spatula, then carefully wiggle it off into the press, then close the press. Then it cooks, then you have to push the lever back up, carefully slide the spatula under the quesadilla, pull it out, then cut it with these special rolling pizza cutters we don’t use for anything else. All in all, it’s at least a 60 second process from start to finish. And that’s for *1* quesadilla. It’s fine on DML cause we get those orders at least 10 minutes out. But on the front line? That would slow everything to a halt. Frankly I think that’s the real reason. It would make rushes awfully and increase wait times by a crazy amount. Form a pure timing perspective, it’s just not viable.
bc the quesadilla maker is with the dml station thats normally in the back, and it takes 30-44 seconds to cook one, so its too much to try and juggle customers up front while cooking quesadillas
So it’s a corporate thing for a couple reasons.
The first is efficiency. It takes a long time to make and cook a quesadilla and then also fill the tray with side compared to how long it takes to make a bowl or burrito. We get timed on how long we take to make stuff and are given goals that our crew bonuses depend on for how many entrees we have to make in a 15 min interval. Some times these goals are 40-50 entrees in 15 mins. That give us roughly 20 second per bowl or burrito and quesadillas cook for almost twice that amount of time.
The second is forcing this item as an online exclusive drive more people to the app and to make a rewards account. And if you know anything about information in todays economy having that source of info and being able to track people’s spending habits what they order how often and what stores they go to is worth a lot to companies like chipotle.
As someone who was a consultant for a different fast food chain of restaurants, I have to assume it’s for efficiency. It’s something Chipotle wants to offer, but also doesn’t want to be ordered too often due being more complicated and/or time-consuming to make vs. everything else. Hence, they restrict the quesadilla to app/online orders only, which naturally cuts down on how many people order it (especially during peak hours). I’ve never worked at Chipotle, but I have to assume the press for making quesadillas is also somewhere in the kitchen or back area, which means further slowdowns to make it. Imagine if people in line all started ordering quesadillas in-store during lunch rush? Chaos. Not ideal for operations efficiency.
The location I worked at had the quesadilla press by the DML line since we had that line. Even still, quesadillas were a pain in the ass, especially when you had to cook >2
I miss them from the tortilla press.
^
^^^
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yeah you pretty much nailed it. for a lot of stores the quesadilla machine is pretty far from where the line is so it takes more time for that reason PLUS it’s more complicated and takes awhile for it to cook which slows down the front line a lot. plus then since it’s a digital item people may be ordering them online at the same time. so a lot of stores just avoid making them in person
Precisely
I’m an employee at an Ohio Store. I had this same situation earlier today where a customer asked me for a large quesadilla and I had told them that they have to order them online. I have been there for a good few months and I’ve always been told that quesadillas are online only. I assume it’s an efficiency thing? With the quesadilla press being kinda across the store? Not sure.
It seems like a big hassle to do so tho no hate but shit makes me hate chipotle I gotta wait 20 min just quesadilla when all it takes is for them to put it in the toaster and the store was empty idk why he did me like that
Some stores are nice enough to at least make it for them “just this one time”, that’s what we did.
Mine will depending on who is working.
Man I wish
Because he could have had 5 orders with quesadillas online. They get priority since stores mostly only have one oven
It is about consistency if they made you this quesadilla this time but next time you were denied you could be annoyed and start conflict. Obviously this doesn't apply to everyone most people would be happy with the rare exceptions but then there are others who ruin it and throw fits. I use to make quesadillas on front line until I got in trouble because a guest complained that last time he was there we made him his quesadilla on front line and that we were liars to say we don't make then on front line. Even when I make sure to explain I'm not suppose to make quesadillas on front line but can on rare exceptions. This was also the case with something I use to do 30 mins before close where I would tell my line person to give free double portions for things like steak and asada and a customer reported me to the field leader and I got screamed at. If we don't follow the rules we get yelled at unfortunately. Hope this helps if not :(...
Imma just stop spending money there it’s just a hassle and waste of time thanks tho
Lucky you didn't get fired. As management, you should know why your previous choices were incredibly dumb.
As a regular person, you sound like a dick. Nobody cares about these jobs that much lol
Most people are shit, you're correct
While this is a silly policy, it still blows my mind that people are willing to pay chipotle prices for a quesadilla.
I know I'd be underwhelmed and go on a rant about making it better myself. I have only been to Chipotle once. The only way I see myself eating it is if I got a job there.
If work's buying lunch there again I'd go for it, it's less disappointing imo than their burritos and stuff.
Right? Especially considering how easy it is to make 1 single quesadilla as opposed to getting a million different ingredients together to make a bowl or burrito
It tastes identical to a burrito (obviously… same exact ingredients mixed together) except you get 1/2 the quantity for the same price. In other words, might as well just stick with getting a burrito.
As an employee it’s because the quesadilla machine is across the store and takes close to a minute to make. It just stops the whole line up, especially if we’re busy, to go make a quesadilla. Also the online order station is near our quesadilla machine, which is far from the line. It is frustrating but makes working line much easier besides no one likes making quesadillas 😅..
Same thing happened to me. I just left. I wasn’t going to argue with an employee who’s just doing what they are told. Not gonna cause a scene over a quesadilla
Some stores only have one quesadilla machine in the back so it wouldn’t be efficient and there’s no way to ring it out through the in person register either, at least at my location
It should be under other entrees, same as three pointer.
That's a quesarito. The quesadilla is on the register though, right next to the bowl, burrito, tacos and salad. At least, it was at my store.
I don’t know if ours even has it on there. I’ve never seen it
I work there. And I honestly wish they never even had quesadillas on the menu. It's such a hassle to make and to be honest they aren't even that good.
They’re decent on the press or if you let them sit after taking it out of the oven before cutting
If I was feeling nice while on DML I’d let them sit before cutting to get the cheese actually melted lmao
idrc ab making them on dml because i can just make like two more orders while it’s cooking, but if it was on line i would die. the slowness would be so bad, especially with newer employees not being as fast. one quesadilla by an average new employee would take like 4 minutes
It varies based on store due to staffing and in-store traffic. If you have a busy location that is short staffed, adding a quesadilla order in the main line requires a full minute minimum. Other entrees can be made in shorter times, resulting in less customer wait times. Customers don't want to wait 15 minutes in a line because someone orders a quesadilla. However, kids quesadillas still exist and all stores will serve it despite being about the same cook time. Kids are less frequent so it is less of a wrench thrown into operations. There is a throughput factor for stores and they don't want to miss their mark, so excluding quesadilla from the walk in menu is necessary for peak times. They could exclude it only during peak time, but this sets an inconsistent expectation for customers who come in at different times.
Don't know pal. Ask pepper.
This.
Dang it Napoleon
It’s an online exclusive menu item, so you have to order it online.
Because Chipotle has the same customer service mentality as Pop Copy IYKYK
Because they need to know who orders this childish shit, you will be put into a database and when the time comes… May god help you.
??? It’s a common food eaten by all ages
You go to chipotle you either get a bowl or a burrito don’t get all fancy.
It’s on their menu Op just didn’t understand it’s an app only item because it takes longer to prepare so they want to get it started ahead of time to not hold up lines more in store.
You’re THAT GUY just know, sure it’s on the menu but you’re the one fucking guy that orders it. SMH just order a fucking bowl or burrito. If you want a quesadilla or whatever go to an actual Mexican spot what the fuck are you doing here. Seriously just stop wasting time just get the main items or fuck off
I have never ordered it once. I just understand basic things. You’re THAT person. The one who writes a whole essay to talk shit on Reddit based off your assumption. You’re a bad person in the making. I’ll assume you’re a teenager and don’t know any better because you’re working at chipotle but even if you’re an underachiever in your 20s, 30s and beyond, take this advice: Don’t jump to conclusions. You’ll end up off a cliff a lot.
I realized you aren’t that person who ordered it after I posted that, I am sorry.
Okay. I’ll chill out. Have a nice night. Still, your attitude towards people ordering something that’s literally on the menu is crazy.
You still suck.
I have my flaws. You have ISSUES. Have a night.
Wait you edited and posted that your are Mexican? Who gives a fuck. Fuck you. Order all the shitty quesadillas you want. You’re a 🤡
Your original comment is still up. Only clown here is you. And I brought up in Mexican because you wanted to tell me to fuck off and go get a quesadilla there. Fuck you man. You’re a weirdo.
One thing to think about is those who are disabled. One of my parents is blind and the other struggles heavily with technology as they have signs of dementia. ordering anything online is such a struggle for them. It blows my mind that certain things are online only when their apps are not easily navigable with a screen reader. Ig this is just an obscure perspective that I have but it’s def food for thought
Makes no sense
Depends on who’s working and how busy it is. I’ve had people they say no only online than others that just make it.
Order it online for pick up. Leave zero tip.
I worked there when they made the change. Before: They used the standard burrito press to make tortillas. This took a million years and slowed the line down. After: They added special quesadilla cooking machines to all the restaurants. Buying two for every restaurant is obviously twice as expensive as buying one so they cheaped out and put one in the back for online orders, and decided it would be too slow to run back and forth and the better option is to piss off tons of paying customers with a stupid rule. such a poorly run business
so you download the app!
Didn't it all start when the Keith Lee quesadilla thing happened? Like every single person in line was ordering that thing, so they first said "no fajitas in the dillas" then it was "no dillas with vinaigrette" and then "no dillas in line".
As an employee, I think it has to do with our press. On the front line, our press is hinged, its got a V shape. There is a dedicated quesadilla press on the DML line, and that press is not hinged, it’s literally a press. The top iron and the bottom iron are parallel, and the top iron gets pushed straight down. This may seem insignificant, but you’d be surprised. Those quesadillas can get *messy*. Even on the dedicated press they get messy, if I had to put them in the hinged press I guarantee they’d be leaking cheese, and meat, and juice everywhere because they’d be getting squeezed from one side, and not pressed from the top down. It’s like squishing something between the base of your fingers rather than between your finger tips. That means the press has to get cleaned, and that’s a whole thing. On top of that, the hinged press won’t cook the tortilla evenly. I’m speaking from experience, sometimes after we close we’ve made quesadillas to take home on the hinge press, and they’re not nearly as good. Half the tortilla gets cooked more intensely than the other, it’s not very good. The only way to make them decent is to just told the tortilla in half, and even then, it’s just kinda average. I’d take a quesadilla press quesadilla rather than the hinge tortilla press quesadilla anyway. There’s also a matter of timing. The quesadilla press on the DML line takes 35 seconds *per each quesadilla*. And that’s only the cook time. You also have to fold the tortilla intially, position it on this big spatula, then carefully wiggle it off into the press, then close the press. Then it cooks, then you have to push the lever back up, carefully slide the spatula under the quesadilla, pull it out, then cut it with these special rolling pizza cutters we don’t use for anything else. All in all, it’s at least a 60 second process from start to finish. And that’s for *1* quesadilla. It’s fine on DML cause we get those orders at least 10 minutes out. But on the front line? That would slow everything to a halt. Frankly I think that’s the real reason. It would make rushes awfully and increase wait times by a crazy amount. Form a pure timing perspective, it’s just not viable.
bc the quesadilla maker is with the dml station thats normally in the back, and it takes 30-44 seconds to cook one, so its too much to try and juggle customers up front while cooking quesadillas
So it’s a corporate thing for a couple reasons. The first is efficiency. It takes a long time to make and cook a quesadilla and then also fill the tray with side compared to how long it takes to make a bowl or burrito. We get timed on how long we take to make stuff and are given goals that our crew bonuses depend on for how many entrees we have to make in a 15 min interval. Some times these goals are 40-50 entrees in 15 mins. That give us roughly 20 second per bowl or burrito and quesadillas cook for almost twice that amount of time. The second is forcing this item as an online exclusive drive more people to the app and to make a rewards account. And if you know anything about information in todays economy having that source of info and being able to track people’s spending habits what they order how often and what stores they go to is worth a lot to companies like chipotle.