Chipotle raising pay, resulting in $15 average hourly wage

Chipotle is increasing paychecks at its restaurants, resulting in an average $15 hourly wage for employees.

With the increases, according to a press release from the company, starting wages for hourly crew members will range from $11 to $18 an hour.

Chipotle also announced that it is interested in hiring 20,000 new employees across the U.S. to “accommodate its peak season and staff and the estimated 200 restaurants it plans to open this year.”

The company also rolled out a $250 employee referral bonus for crew members and a $750 referral bonus for apprentices or general managers.

“Chipotle is committed to providing industry-leading benefits and accelerated growth opportunities, and we hope to attract even more talent by showcasing the potential income that can be achieved in a few short years,” Marissa Andrada, the chain’s chief diversity, inclusion and people officer, said in a statement.

Chipotle’s announcement comes as restaurants and bars say they are struggling to hire enough workers to keep up with increasing customer demand.

As coronavirus vaccinations continue to ramp up, causing states to ease pandemic-related restrictions, labor shortages in the hard-hit food and beverage community are becoming more common, despite there being millions of Americans still unemployed.

The April jobs report released on Friday showed that U.S. businesses added just 266,000 new jobs last month, far less than the roughly 1 million that economists had projected.