Chipotle workers say they've been forced to work while 'dripping snot' — and it could be linked to the latest food poisoning outbreak (CMG)

pulse

July 25, 2017 9:31 PM

Some Chipotle employees say that a lax sick leave policy that forces workers to prepare food while dripping "snot" is to blame for food poisoning scandal.

New, cheaper Mexican-inspired food on the menu

Last week news broke that Chipotle had closed a restaurant in Sterling, Virginia, following multiple reports of customers getting sick after eating there. The news caused Chipotle's stock to fall.

Another self-identified Chipotle employee wrote on Reddit that they were told their job was in jeopardy if they did not come to work, despite their illness.

"Isn't it against company policy to work with a fever anyway?" the user wrote. "Today I was told I was not allowed to blow my nose during peak for about an hour and a half. If I'm dripping snot, shouldn't that constitute too sick to work with food anyway?"

Other Reddit users have noted other instances of managers encouraging workers to forego the chain's food safety regulations, which were updated after Chipotle's 2015 E. coli outbreak.

"On nights where we were super busy my GM has had me just fill in correct temps," or lie about food temperatures on food safety sheets to save time, one Reddit user wrote two months ago. "I feel uncomfortable doing this but don't know what to do."

"We have policies that preclude people from coming to work sick, and are one of few restaurant companies that provides paid sick days for our employees (including hourly employees)," Chipotle spokesperson Chris Arnold told CNBC in an email.

Chipotle is reporting its quarterly earnings on Tuesday after the market closes.

pulse