Chipotle to hire 15,000 workers in the United States

[January 11, 2021]  (Reuters) - Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc said on Monday it would hire 15,000 workers in the United States, as the fast-casual burrito chain benefits from strong demand during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The move comes about five months after Chipotle said it planned to add 10,000 more people to its more than 85,000-strong workforce. It now employs about 94,000 people, most of them in the United States.

Fast-food chains - mainly pizza and Mexican restaurants - have seen sales remain strong during the pandemic as customers crave comfort food and order in more. Chipotle had posted a 14% jump in revenue in its latest reported quarter.

Chipotle in October had said it would open about 200 restaurants. The company had over 2,700 restaurants, as of September.

Major pizza chains, including Papa John's International Inc and Domino's Pizza Inc, and other big names such as McDonald's Corp have hired thousands of people in recent months to meet heightened demand even as family-owned restaurants have had to shut shop.

(Reporting by Praveen Paramasivam in Bengaluru and Hilary Russ in New York; Editing by Amy Caren Daniel)

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