Case Study: Chipotle Mexican Grill achieves major retention gains and boosts internal promotions with Guild Education

How Chipotle improved retention by deepening its commitment to its mission

Chipotle Mexican Grill, with more than 80,000 employees, was struggling with high frontline turnover—about a 145% annual turnover rate for hourly workers within their first six months. To better attract and retain talent and stay true to its mission, Chipotle redesigned its tuition reimbursement program and in 2016 partnered with Guild Education to launch the Cultivate Education benefits program.

Guild Education implemented the Cultivate Education program—initially offering tuition reimbursement up to $5,250 and later expanding to cover 100% tuition for 75 select business and technology degrees and a larger academic network—while Chipotle also reduced tenure requirements to double eligibility. The results were measurable: participants with under six months tenure were roughly 2.1x more likely to stay, and enrollees were 6x more likely to advance into manager positions, improving restaurant stability and internal promotion rates.

Chipotle Mexican Grill

Tania Ortega

Field Leader