A Chicago-based TikToker says his attempt to trick thieves who steal online orders cost him his job at Chipotle.
TikTok user Luca (@luga.el.beluga) recently posted a video of himself “[making] a fake order for stealers.” He makes a burrito bowl that’s completely doused in Chipotle’s spiciest salsa, the tomatillo-red chili salsa.
After sealing the bowl shut, he writes a note for whoever ends up taking the order. “U A [expletive],” he writes on a note before sliding it into the bag.
The content creator then places the bag on the online order rack, waiting for an unsuspecting person to take the bait.
Theft of mobile orders
Theft of mobile orders is a problem, according to other Chipotle workers online. One worker shared on Reddit that multiple orders get stolen each day. This is a labor issue as the workers then have to make that order again for the paying customer when they come in looking for their order. This “can be inconvenient depending on how busy it is. Either way, having to do something you’ve already done is also annoying, even if you’re being paid to do it,” the worker argued.
Customers have also complained about having their orders taken. “They need to have a process in place that makes sure the right person takes otherwise it always has to be remade,” one customer who says they’ve had three to-go orders taken before they got there wrote in a separate Reddit post.
To deter theft, some workers claimed their Chipotle locations put the pickup station either closer to where the workers make the meals or have customers come ask for the orders by name. One Chipotle even went as far as to make customers wait in line for their to-go orders, according to one redditor. “My local Chipotle has stopped putting online orders on the shelf. Now we have to wait in like just to tell them what the name to get the online order,” they shared.
In his video, Luca expresses his anger toward thieves by flipping off the camera.
The Daily Dot reached out to Luca via Instagram direct message and TikTok comment as well as Chipotle via press email.
@luga.el.beluga Mf lames #foryou #fyp #foryourpage #fypシ #chicago ♬ escape – Kilgore Doubtfire
Why viewers are upset by the video
His video amassed 1.1 million views. But viewers slammed Luca for giving a hearty bowl to a thief. Chipotle workers are often criticized for not giving paying customers enough food.
“I’d actually love that bowl though,” one viewer said.
“Joke’s on you bc i’d eat that 1000%. I love the red salsa so much, they never let me do more than 2 scoops,” a second commented.
“New story: chipotle will give reasonable portions to criminals but not their customers,” a third said.
“The one time Chipotle actually fills their bowl,” a fourth critiqued.
Consequences of the video
In a series of updates, Luca shares why the revenge order cost him his job. “I got fired,” he says in one update. He says a receipt in the video had a customer’s phone number on it and that “people were prank calling this phone number.”
The TikToker says he was taken aback by his firing as it was his first offense. “I was like, ‘What the [expletive]? You know, you could have given me a warning because this is my first offense in the company for doing something like that,” he says.
Also delving into the details of his firing, Luca shares, “My manager pulled me over and was like, ‘This is going to be your last day. We can’t really do anything. Sorry about that.’”
Luca ultimately takes responsibility for his actions, however.
But he says he requested his tuition reimbursement. A tuition reimbursement is an employee benefit in which a company invests a predetermined amount of money into an employee’s education. One of the requirements for this, however, is to work at the job for a certain amount of time.
Luca, in a later video, says that before he was fired, he caught his managers bad-mouthing him behind his back after he posted the now-viral video. “They were talking sh*t behind my back, like, ‘How dumb could he be.’ They didn’t even second guess it. They just wanted to fire me right away,” he claims.
Furthermore, Luca says he believes he was easily fired because he was considered “replaceable.” Luca says he worked at Chipotle as a “simple crew member.”
In this video, he also reveals he won’t be receiving his tuition reimbursement. He says he was fired just one month before his was eligible to receive it.
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