Thanks to a solid, longstanding partnership between Chipotle Mexican Grill and IRC San Francisco, two locally resettled refugees originally from Rwanda have been on the vanguard of extending that partnership into Utah.
Refugees resettled through IRC have gotten jobs at Chipotle in the Bay area for several years. Because of the positive experience the company has had in hiring refugees there, they began expanding their refugee recruiting efforts into other regions in cooperation with IRC Employment Specialists.
In Utah, Adrian Ibave, a regional Human Resources Manager based in Phoenix, began interviewing candidates referred by the IRC in early July and hired Josiane and Credo, two refugee women originally from Rwanda who had arrived in the US just 2 months prior. The new employees had received a pre-orientation to Chipotle’s philosophy from IRC Employment Specialists on topics including the kinds of characteristics Chipotle looks for in employees like “conscientious” and “motivated,” as well as Chipotle’s dedication to fresh, delicious, sustainably-raised food.
In talking to the new employees a month after beginning work, they are progressing well. They are being trained in all the food preparation stations of the Chipotle kitchen and have even begun mastering the folding of the 1 ¼-pound burritos, which is considered an art form among the proud Chipotle staff. They both feel it’s a great first job to have and could even turn into a long-term career option through Chipotle’s 100% internal promotion goal for management positions.
According to Mr. Ibave, “Chipotle is a company who is looking for great people who have certain characteristics that cannot be taught such as Smart, Honest, Ambitious, Happy, Respectful, Presentable, etc. When we see people such as Josiane and Credo, the way they are motivated to become better in their lives despite of their circumstances is absolutely inspiring. The IRC has been instrumental in helping Chipotle find some incredible people with the characteristics mentioned above. I look forward to our continued relationship with the IRC.” IRC Salt Lake and Chipotle are planning more interviews for recently-arrived refugees and hope to continue the strong partnership that began in San Francisco. In Utah, there are Chipotle restaurants in Sugarhouse, West Bountiful, Cottonwood Heights and Sandy.
