Submitted by CoffeeFiendd t3_11jl198 in rva
Why are all the Chipotles in the RVA area so horrible? Always missing items, and customer service is horrible. What is going on??
Submitted by CoffeeFiendd t3_11jl198 in rva
Why are all the Chipotles in the RVA area so horrible? Always missing items, and customer service is horrible. What is going on??
were you also just at the vcu chipotle
They were getting bad, but then got absolutely destroyed by the delivery apps and the delivery drivers that come in acting entitled and bullying the workers into making their orders ahead of everyone else, which messes up the times for everyone.
When I go early, by around 11:30, I think the food is often okay.
I've had this problem with a lot of chain restaurants in the area lately
Yeah we know. People keep coming on here and telling us.
Lol though, they open at 10:45!!
You skip the first rush cause that’s the shit from last night. By 11:30, you get the first batch. That’s how my mind works haha
They’ve been bad everywhere for like a couple of years
Colon blow
The one by Regency Mall in West End is pretty good. Can’t speak to any others.
on the other side of the coin, it’s not just chipotle in the sense that a lot of fast food places in the area do a shitty job lol
It’s not just RVA. I promise! The only decent one is at Short Pump.
I’ve always considered VCU chipotle the best in Richmond
LMAO seriously though. I was telling my friend about my last 2 experiences at chipotle this past week. The first one I somehow managed to get a veggie bowl instead of a chicken bowl. The second one I received my guac, but no chips! Unreal.
Carytown is way better than VCU.
Comparing Chipotles is like saying this pile of shit smells a little better than that pile of shit.
The hull st one isn’t bad tbh. I swear their burritos are bigger than the average chipotle
It has ok days and bad days. VCU Chipotle is its own unique level of suck. Carytown Chipotle is like a shitty ex boyfriend that tricks you into thinking they’re not shitty but they’ll always find a way to let you down.
Qdoba gang
The Carytowne chipotle has gone down the shitter. I had to drive all the way back because they gave me the wrong shit. I'm not going there again. Period.
Nope, empty store in carytowne and I get terrible service at 11:30am.
You’re on to something.. or just a good legitimate Latino restaurant
They just have so many good topping compared to Chipotle. The queso, jalapeños, pickled red onions, etc
They’ve honestly got to be making millions off of online and delivery orders that are lacking chips, guac, and other items. It’s pretty much a gamble as to whether you’ll get the right order - I’m honestly surprised when I get everything I’ve paid for.
They build it in front of you, how's it missing items?
The one off forest ave is the only good one
You obviously never have been to the Cville Chipotle by UVA. It’s just a train wreck.
Fifteen years ago I lived in the fan near VCU and it was a 15 minute drive to the closest Chipotle in Willow Lawn. My friends and I liked Chipotle so much that we wrote to them and suggested they open a location in the VCU area.
Now we won't eat there anymore.
Twin Hickory is good. Short Pump and Broad at Cox are both atrocious.
I miss the one at Stony Point. That one used to be the absolute best. A creeper worked there and he would give me giant portions and then ask to sit with me on his break. I’d allow it for those bowls.
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chipotle fell off at least in 2015, if not earlier
Nobody who smelled this pile of shit would like it
Yeah seriously unless they somehow knew what you wanted before you got there and had it waiting for you, or had it delivered to you by somebody else, there's no way this is happening. They'd need some kind of app to do either of those things. Possibly even a website. Hell even a telephone. And since none of those exist, yeah, I'm calling bs
Christ people suck, you've never worked at a restaurant and neither have the people downvoting me and it shows. Shitty software does not equate to shitty service. Try ordering your food directly from the people making it for a change, ya chudd
I once waited in line for 20 minutes just to be told they were out of two ingredients I liked.
Your first mistake was eating at / or ordering from chipotle in 2023. They haven’t been the same since like 2010-2015
Cafe Rio in Short Pump was the best build you own burrito bowl. I was so sad that they closed their only Richmond location. It was always packed, idk how they didn't make it.
I have had good experiences when I’ve been there in person, but every time I try to order there through the app, it says they are out of lettuce. That may not be true at all, but I usually try to order ahead.
The one at Chesterfield Towne Center is probably the best one I’ve been to in the area since the start of the pandemic. Some others have been hit or miss, but that one has been consistently solid.
Picking up an Uber order from there earlier tonight: “Hi I’m picking up an order for ____” “Well, you’ll have to get a refund through the Chipotle app” “It’s an UberEats.” “Well they’ll have to get a refund through Uber then” “Um… why?” “We’re out of rice.”
RICE. They’re usually just out of guac, pico, lettuce, and cheese.
I’m a fan of regency square
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TBT el Gallo on Cary St will take care of you, fam.
The one by the Short Pump mall is the only one that’s consistently fully staffed, and the employees don’t look like they’re being held there at gunpoint. I usually drive the extra distance to go to that one.
I went to the one near Innsbrook a few months ago and it was such a shitshow that a guy quit and walked out mid-shift right in front of all of the customers.
My girlfriend at the time and I went to the Chipotle on West Broad near Innsbrook a few years ago, about a month before the pandemic lockdown began. We were the only customers in the restaurant and were ignored for 10 minutes and then got messy and incorrect food. When I called the store 2 days later to speak to the manager, his only response was to chastise me and tell me I shouldn't have "waited so long to call about the problem". Never been back and the lack of business they get is telling. Chipotle's food quality in general has gone down over the years. I typically prefer Qdoba anyway
I just had chipotle in Williamsburg and it was pretty good.
Especially the one in colonial heights. They always got some new employee that’s training to make your burrito. It’s all screwed up.
That’s weird. I’ll have to look. I usually get through Door Dash.
Chipotle is such a joke these days. I've made the switch to Moe's. You get way more food for much less. Free chips too!
Missing items on the line
The thing that really pisses me off about Chiptole now-a-days is the fact that they have two different burrito making stations.
I find myself in the stores being told we don't have "x, y, and z". Like bitch I came here for a veggie burrito and you don't have peppers or guacamole?
Then you go sit down at the table, online order, and they have everything you need all of a sudden.
If you cannot keep up with walk in orders and online orders, knock it down to walk in only. But I guess they really just don't give a fuck since they are so big now.
Was just discussing this with a friend while at Taco Bell. Amazed me that I will pretty much always choose the bell over chipotle now.
It’s a city (insert store type), it is going to generally suck compared elsewhere. This seems to be a common trend, whenever I want something that isn’t a convenience store item I just drive 15 minutes outside the city 🤷🏼♂️
The Moe’s in Mechanicsville just reopened and celebrations were had.
Bro it wasnt even a uber order, it was literally just my food and they put the wrong food in the bag
Try Canasta’s or Chicken Fiesta
The one at Willow Lawn always smells like a wet dog.
It's not just Richmond, as others have mentioned. Has the saltiest bowl ever from the Union Station one, and on top of that the rice was undercooked.
Later, had the same issue at the Willow Lawn one and let them know in the app. They gave me a BOGO offer, which kind of blows as a "sorry", but i did use it and the next two were good.
Cafe Ole represent
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arroz FTW. Pricier but so much better. Kickers better never let that food truck leave.
Chipotle always been shit lol, I had friends who worked there when it first opened and their safety protocols were horrendous, lots of burns and cuts. They’re probably all crap now cause they can only hire people who don’t give a crap either.
Except Moe’s quality is noticeably worse
This location seems to run out of items often. I’ve ordered online twice only to show up to the store and they have their door locked and no signs communicating what’s going on……. and obtaining a refund on Pepper isn’t always the easiest.
When I worked BOH at TGI Friday’s, if we ran out of items we would run to Costco, a supermarket or source items from a different store with stock. It blows my mind that with such a limited menu, that Chipotle location doesn’t do this.
I’ve also noticed the difference in the quality of food when ordering online vs in person.
My favorite is how they’re “out” of everything at 8pm when they close at 10.
Like obviously I understand that going to a restaurant right at closing is a dick move, but going to a fast food joint two hours before close should not be a problem.
We did this at short pump Friday's ALL the time. Hell, there was more than one occasion when I had to tell my bar guests I would be right back, and would run to ABC for more Jager. What was it about jagermeister in the 2010s that made us go thru 12 bottles a night? No one knows, but if DUI Fridays shitty self can keep stock, surely Chipotle can..
That’s crazy somehow the receipt they stick on the bag has everything you ordered but it’s a software problem that’s causing them to not include items people pay for. Are the people behind the counter androids or illiterate?
Holy shit, -40 by saying which Chipotle you like best? People might be taking their franchise preferences a bit too seriously....
Minimum wage, minimum effort
For real! Don’t expect above average staff if you’re paying below average wages.
This is a huge issue. The volume these places get has no bottleneck now with app ordering. Add this onto fairly low wages and it’s a recipe for poor results.
I worked at one of the busiest ones Absolute nightmare, completely mismanaged
They don't reuse anything on the hot side from overnight, only the cold stuff, and it's still pretty likely salsas put on the line later in the day could have been prepped the night before anyways.
I used to work at Chipotle on hull Street way back in like 2013 and back then VCU was seen as the best in the area. 😂
The one near Gaskins got some new workers and they’re so nice and pile on the scoops. It’s my favorite one.
There's a carytown chipotle!?!?!? Where?????
My boy worked there when they closed. Said the cafe Rio model of business was to cook a shit load of everything all day and then throw out the leftovers every night. Said the food waste was absolutely incredible. They are a good ass company tho. He showed up for work and a corporate rep was there with a check for $2,000 for every employee. He still talks about it to this day. (He was a part time highschool student so was a lot of money to him)
Wait. What's the difference between innsbrook and shortpump?
Agreed. Moes is so much better than chipotle!
The only delicious answer here
Chipotle is not good. Stop expecting it to be good. Hot food is lukewarm. Cold food is lukewarm. It is overpriced slop. Taco bell is better.
It's right next to the Petco and Farm Fresh Fresh Market. Pro-tip, don't go there, go to Torchy's instead.
Two different burrito making stations that absolutely do not communicate with or help each other in any way. I stopped going to Chipotle after one too many times of placing an online order, arriving after the app said it would be ready, then watching multiple people come in and go through the walk through line while waiting for my food to be made. The last time, after 20+ minutes, I just cancelled the order and left to get a sandwich from one of the grocery stores.
That's what I've been saying. I don't go much but the last few times they've been out of important components. Meanwhile i can see 2 people working out online orders while the main line is backed up. I seems like a case of being understaffed while corporate prioritizes online orders.
Fast food is trash in Richmond in general
I was in Miami Gardens a few months ago and was desperate and got Chipotle but it was actually really good. It reminded me of how good Chipotle used to be. There are still places doing it right and Richmond just isn't one.
I have eaten what I would estimate is between $3k and $4k in Chipotle products in the last fifteen years. I was one of the psychos who went there 35 times that one summer with a loyalty card to eventually get a free catered party, and I truly didn't get sick of it.
So I feel uniquely qualified to say that the chain really did use to have a spark it no longer does. It was the "cool" place that gave you bang for your buck--you could easily split a fat $6 bowl-plus-tortilla into two meals if you were low on cash--and they turned that cool image into brand loyalty. They were the everyman's fast casual dining chain. I know they were always a business with business priorities, but the vibe and atmosphere conveyed that they actually cared that people got fed for a good price first and had room for infinite growth second.
They are now cashing in that loyalty for the growth that all companies promise themselves one day, and unsurprisingly the food has suffered. COVID's effect on the service industry certainly didn't help; I now go infrequently enough that with the much higher turnover I don't think I ever recognize an employee from one visit to the next, meaning my food is usually worse than I'd like because no one there has enough practice, so I go less frequently, etc.
And don't even get me started on the mobile order and pickup. When they do manage to get it right, the absence of an audience as they make your food gives them an excuse to skimp quantity by a WIDE margin--you are absolutely not getting the same product if you order right in front of them vs. mobile. And that's if they get your order correct. After my third time getting an order screwed up in four attempts I no longer allow a Chipotle order on my own dime to get made anywhere but in my sight.
Damn shame.
Who cares? What does Chipotle have to do with Richmond? Aren’t they owned by McDonalds? SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESS
Why don’t they make packet-sizes of that delicious chipotle hot sauce instead of the little bottles? This is a functional money-making proposal. DM me.
Because they don’t pay for shit, the conditions are abysmal and Chipotle has refused to do anything about it since like 2011. Don’t expect anything good out of a union busting minimum wage paying sweat restaurant.
yeah that’s true everywhere, I guess the effort is just worth more in Richmond lol
I-64 is the dividing line
Torchys is so expensive though. 5-6 dollars for a single small taco is a lot. I dropped 20 on a lunch and wasn't full.
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I miss Cafe Rio more than words can express
I usually do 2 + a drink and am good but I've been doing intermittent fasting for a few months so it's easier for me to feel full than it used to be.
edit: This comment is at -2 and imagining the kind of person who's like "two tacos and a drink to feel full??? downvote!!!" makes me laugh, what a sad existence
After 3 delivery orders in a row where I did not want sour cream and it came slathered in sour cream, making it inedible for me, there will not be a 4th. One was fluke, two was a wtf? Three was my fault for giving them another chance.
FFS, just stop going to Chipotle.
I've usually had good experiences with the Staples Mill location. Food is always good, portion sizes are respectable, and I've never had to wait. I mostly use mobile ordering though
It was never good anywhere. Get a local Mexican place instead of shitty chain food.
I travel a lot. The chipotle’s here in Richmond are the worst I’ve ever seen. The Barbacoa is a soupy mess. I’ve just stopped going. They need some serious quality control.
Small taco? They're huge as far as tacos go. Filled so much you can't hardly even close the tortilla, much less roll them up. I had 2 and it was plenty.
I like Qdoba a lot but there's just not many of them around, sadly.
I think they got a lot worse when they went public a few years ago. Chipotle board only cares if the share number goes up. So more restaurants, more revenue. They don't really care about quality as long as they make money.
Go to Ay Caramba on Grace St. They've got a similar setup, and their food doesn't make me sick like Chipotle does.
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This makes so much sense. I remember when I used to walk past the VCU Chipotle there always seemed to be a line out the door. That alone would be hard to deal with for an entire shift. I don't know how you fit in delivery orders on top of that.
I just got food poisoning from Chipotle a couple of weeks ago☠️
I’ve been to a lot of Chipotles, but find the one at the Staples Mill location when I’m over there for work not bad. A couple regular staff members. Now, I no longer order in advance because I feel like I’m always jipped.
Portions are so subjective though. I’ve got an athletic friend who is 200+ lb very muscular and active, two tacos would not fill him.
every single time ive gotten Moes or Qdoba the rice isnt cooked properly and large portions of it are still hard
The Carytown Chipotle is by far the worst one I've ever been to.
Covid casualty unfortunately
Chipotle employee here - (only worked there for a bit, don’t @ me)
The ‘to-go’ gets the last of any ingredients in the store. If we have one tub of guac, it HAS to go to them. This is because (usually) managers have to contact the district managers to have those ingredients set to “not available” and most of them are hard to reach or just refuse. Since we cannot call the customer and ask to substitute (and doordash isn’t gonna decide for them) we have to prioritize them. Since everything is made in the morning, we can’t give you a heads up in the app.
As for times and waits - we’ve all seen the short staffing since the pandemic. It sucks, and the higher-ups aren’t hiring more than a couple people at a time. Most don’t stay because it’s a skeleton crew and the Karen customers have become more frequent and entitled.
I had a lady throw a fit because we didn’t fry onions and peppers separate so she could have extra onions. JUST onions. Almost everyone is angry about the vinaigrette costing a dollar, and I have to smile while I tell you it’s not my fault. People try to steal tortillas (won’t say they got one until after they pay. It’s $0.30 and def not worth it)
As a job, it sucks and no one wants to work there, that’s probably why it’s gone downhill so much.
This is because the ingredients are made in the morning. Workers arrive as early as 7am to make everything for the day. Meats, rice, and fajita veggies get updated throughout (or until the grill team is out of prep) but everything else has to be done all at once in the am. With skeleton crews, they don’t have the manpower to endlessly make chips and salsa til 10.
This, too
No I mean they’ll say they’re out of everything at 8pm despite ostensibly being open until 10.
God I hate this train of thought. First, no jobs are paying minimum wage right now and a lot of fast food jobs are paying $13-15/hr. Second, work ethic among Gen Z is just bad across the board, regardless of pay. And giving lower effort regardless of pay builds bad habits for the future.
I’ve been to three different countries in the past year. All paid less than the US for service jobs and yet the service was so much better there. In all honesty, Americans are just lazier and more entitled than people from other countries.
Agree! I was recently around Clearwater beach and their chipotle made realize how crappy ours have gotten here in RVA
Yep..I moved back up to nova from rva and there are some decent chipotles in nova still compared to those I went to in rva
Because the vcu chipotle is an absolute joke. They’re by far the worst in the city
Go to chicano boy taco on Huguenot. Blows chipotle away
Isn’t it fresh market not farm fresh?
If you want actually good food in the same vein as chipotle I recommend chicano boy taco on Huguenot. It is excellent
which countries?
Mistakes get made cause everyone is working too fast. It’s a bummer
$13-$15 is not a liveable wage. Wanting more is not entitlement. I've, lost chunks of skin, been burned a thousand times, and abused by coworkers and customers alike...all for poverty wages.
Would you work at McDonald's for $13/hr? And you think they should be paid even less?
> should be paid even less?
FTFY.
Although payed exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in:
Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. The deck is yet to be payed.
Payed out when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. The rope is payed out! You can pull now.
Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment.
Beep, boop, I'm a bot
Good catch! I guess most of the city is between Farm Fresh and Petco so that doesn't really narrow it down.
facepalm
I'm not disagreeing with that.....no personal knowledge myself. I've eaten there but I've always thought Chipotle was bland and overrated since I first had it maybe around 2012. I'm just surprised and a bit amused that a simple statement about liking a location of a chain is getting downvoted similarly to when people say pretty vile or hateful things and get downvoted for it.
Chipotle as a whole is just ass now. Do I still eat there? Of course!
I tried them, they were pretty basic. Not bad not good
Where did I say they should be paid less??? Personally, no, I would not work at McDonald’s for $13/hr. But that’s more or less current rate set by the market. Either one of two things happen with raising wages for unskilled labor. 1)There’s a big push for automation and machines start to replace people 2)The business goes under. This is why it’s extremely important to gain other skills in this market, especially since we have tons and tons of information to learn at our fingertips.
I mean you praised people for being paid less and doing more work...the implication seems to be that people should be grateful to make $13/hr
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10 years ago min wage was $7.25 I think. Now it's $12. Google says inflation is 29% in last decade. So $7.25 becomes $9.35 in today's dollars. Seems min wage has kept up with inflation or better, so why is quality/service so much worse?
Because /r/antiwork didn’t exist before 😂
Omg - are gen z finally replacing millennials and the society scapegoat? Didn’t realize only high schooler and college age folks work minimum wage jobs.
tHe MaRkEt works both ways. $13 buys you shitty labor. You wouldn’t do that work for $13 an hour and neither would I. But $100 an hour? I’d jump at that AND be the best damn chipotle employee. Sooo, somewhere between 13 and 100 is an hourly rate that would get you better service in fast food. I don’t know exactly what that number is, but it doesn’t matter because ThE mArKeT has decided that shitty service is good enough.
A whole ass global pandemic killed a lot of people. The remainder's work is worth more now
Yes, EVERYTHING is prepped in the morning. Veggies cut, meats put in marinade. All of it. If at 6 I’m out of fajita veggies, I don’t have enough people to say “hey, go cut more veggies so we can fry” - it sucks, but pulling someone from any position is gonna make things worse. We’re already doing the jobs of 2-3 ppl each
The simple solution is to stop spending your money there
Down voting on this sub is ridiculous. I don't even know what it means anymore.
You’ve got to be tough to post in this sub. 😂
I am here with you in the "WTF is up with /rva subreddit downvotes?!?" Club. Someone should create a t-shirt. Maybe an opossum or chicken wings with 60+ downvotes.
Why is this downvoted?!?
I just moved here and can confirm. I used to get chipotle all the time where I came from and had it twice here and haven’t been back since. Quality and consistency were just trash. Fortunately though, Richmond’s local food scene is off the charts so who needs chipotle haha
Shit dude, r/rva'ers would upvote a picture of a chicken wing straight to the top. You might even get gilded for a good possum pic. I crossed a line with my comment though I guess.
Carytown NEVER has fajitas. EVER. Not when they open, not during the slow hours between lunch and dinner. NEVER. But y'all want $15 an hour?!?!
Yeah but I gotta agree with op it is exceptionally worse in this area
What happened
People like Chipot so when someone says the worst place in the city is the best there’s a negative reaction. Pretty straightforward
VCU chipotle is hands down the worst, the one in midlo (while not quite rva) is just fine.
VCU chipotle always closes early or doesnt have power or runs out of multiple items or card readers are down. just so many things going wrong all the time.
El Chido just keeps winning
I didn't even mention how the customer service was so shit, I literally gave them a 1 star survey WITH a paragraph before I even left the parking lot.
Yeah, like I get the concept it's just also still surprising or a bit crazy to think about in context. It's not that straightforward that "I like this location of this chain" gets the same amount of downvotes as when people use racial slurs. I've known for a long time that people take Chipotle seriously enough to tear families apart and cause civil wars.
You’re definitely right about that one
Manchester one is so weird lol. I went with my GF to pick up our order, and this dude in line was taking pictures of a girls ass across the lobby. This isn't Chipotle's fault, but maybe just a yikes Manchester moment.
You are sitting here complaining about how fast food workers in America are entitled and lazy...but you are literally eating at the lowest quality establishment...I dont get it what do you expect? You are voting with your money for shitty service and then complaining about receiving shitty service. Do people who say "this is the market setting the wage" actually understand their own wisdom? Yes. The market set a wage that is so low, if it went any lower, people wouldn't even show up to do the job...but you think if they are paid that amount (or slightly more than that) everything's good and they should do the job of someone making 5 times as much.
Why isn't the market telling you to spend more money if you aren't satisfied with service? Why does the market only work in one way where you get to set the price but the worker can't negotiate and ask for more? I do this one the time as a contractor. Seems like lots of people under the employ of others forget their labor is an asset that can be leveraged.
More to the point, do you just walk into businesses and judge the fuck out of everyone you think is a millenial? Maybe you aren't getting terrible service as much as you just have unrealistic expectations.
More like in 2011. 2000s were the golden years of Chipotle.
BureauOfBureaucrats t1_jb36j85 wrote
It’s not just RVA Chipotles. Chipotle has been a shell of its former self since the early 2010s.