Chipotle Mexican Grill — Restaurant in Natick

Had an pretty bad experience here no more than two hours ago. I'm only saying pretty bad because I'm not a middle aged mom that probably would've screamed at these kids if she had the chance. I have worked in food service and retail for over six years, I know the store gets messy, busy, short-staffed etc. From a manager and worker point of view, I totally get it, I've been in their shoes. Sometimes you just want to get the customer out of line as quick as possible so you can do something more important. I'm only writing this in hopes their district manager or even store manager can do something to help the team out. A lot of workers don't get enough recognition and appreciation. Also low level workers don't always get the chance to see how the store functions from a customer point of view. Anyways.. The girl who was making our bowls first (she only did the meat/beans/vegs) was not having a good day at all. Totally impolite and impatient. I had brought my coworker there for the first time and he just didn't know what they had to put on a burrito...so I was quietly explaining that he has two rice choices, two bean choices, etc....but this girl was just like "what do you want, what do you want" and enunciating each item like we were stupid. Like I said, I've been in her shoes. I don't want to be at work sometimes, I have stuff to do, customers seems unbelievable clueless sometimes when it comes to choosing simple items. The rest of the process was fine. I noticed the other girl didn't know how to roll a burrito. Liquid everywhere, rips on the side of the burrito. It was for another customer though so it wasn't any of my concern. Maybe she just needs more training or practice. Behind the bar was pretty dirty, bunch of trash and stuff on the floor. Maybe they just don't have enough labor for an extra person to do clean it up. Maybe the manager doesn't delegate tasks like that during downtime. Could be a number of things. One more thing, one of the girls was sweeping the cafe and was loudly moving the chairs around. Not a huge deal but it was just annoying. Can't imagine having a business lunch there or anything...there was just too much noise. The condiment bar was stocked, trashes were empty, seats were all tucked in. Stuff like that can instantly ruined the aesthetic of the establishment but it looked fine to me. Anyway, if the workers are reading this...voice your concerns to your boss!! And if they don't listen...go to their boss! Just try to make the moment right with each customer and good vibes will follow. You'll always have rude and clueless customers. Just have to make the best out of the situation and complain about them in the backroom where no one can hear you. Food service is extremely hard, both mentally and physically but it teaches you a lot about yourself. It truly takes a special type of person to work in this industry, we're all psychos...

I am a former employee at this location, and I have been frequenting it recently since the change in management. I have to say, I believe it has gone uphill in quality, tremendously. I’m going to leave the most honest and in-depth review I possibly can.

FOOD - The “grill guy” matters tremendously at Chipotle. They more or less determine how good everything on the “hot” side of the line will be. The last few times, I have seen my former coworker Luis cooking the food. I have to commend him and whoever else has been cooking the food for my last few visits. The Rice - perfect consistency and texture, perfect balance of salt, cilantro, and lime. The Beans - Luis, or whoever has been cooking the food, absolutely NAILS the beans. The pinto beans are the absolute perfect texture every time I’ve visited recently. Believe it or not, the BEANS have been the highlight of my bowl every time, just because they are cooked to the right consistency every time - not too watery, not undercooked. The Meat - I order extra chicken every time, because it is so good at this location. It’s perfectly seasoned, and perfectly grilled - JUST enough that it has that salty, spicy, charred edge, without being over the top. I personally don’t care for Queso, or Fajita veggies, but I would bet that they are excellent as well.

SERVICE - The service at this location has really gone uphill, in my opinion. Kai seems like an excellent manager. They served me multiple times, and have been very polite every time, with a smile on their face. They seem to treat their employees and customers with decency and respect. The woman working the line tonight (Monday 9/13) provided excellent service. She was quick and very kind. Another thing - although Chipotle has become expensive, in my opinion, this location serves very fair portions. Obviously, they can’t make your bowl overflow, but I feel that this location does a good job of providing a satisfactory amount of food. All around, solid service and friendly employees. They make you feel welcome and serve up delicious food.

ATMOSPHERE - This is an honest review, so the ONLY thing I can knock this location on is the Atmosphere. The tables are often dirty, and it’s a bit of a recurring issue. And, when I came for dinner tonight, I entered the men’s room to wash my hands, only to find a broken faucet. I’m not sure if they’d noticed the broken faucet, but there are well-stocked hand sanitizer dispensers in the restaurant that provided an alternative. Plus, it’s not like the employees were sitting around on their phones; everyone was working the entire time I sat and ate my bowl. They were trying their best, and I noticed.

In conclusion, if you want to go to a location that embodies “Chipotle Mexican Grill”, not “high schoolers serving chicken and rice that tastes like water” come to this one. You won’t be disappointed with the food or...

Oct2022: 0⭐: I would not recommend this location and this restaurant crew personnel.

I came by here and observed that there were parking spaces available in the front of the restaurant. I observed that there was seating outside in front of the restaurant and available seats inside as well. I entered the restaurant with my family members and decided to get bowls. We approached the worker at the counter who just stared at us without asking if she could help us. This person was rude and didn't even say hello or greet me. This girl who was filling the rice bowl, said the guy next to her was deaf and that's the reason why he couldn't hear my spouse asking for certain items. The counter areas where they were standing at were all dirty with food droppings. Wow! Look at my photos. Placing my order for the white rice, I asked for extra cilantro on my rice. The girl just looked at me and said I don't have cilantro to serve. I told the second guy to add cilantro to my food and he of course didn't speak and according to the other female didn't hear me. The final individual at the cash register commented that his cilantro is emaciated and mixed with lime. He commented that he does not serve cilantro on the side. I told him I didn't want cilantro on the side, I want it on my food...on my rice. He said again they don't serve cilantro on the side. So I told him again. I don't want it on the side. I want it on my food." I can't do that. It's already mixed. I can't do that". Out of all the Chipotle restaurants I've been to, I have always been able to have extra cilantro put on my rice and put on my food. Why is this one location different from the other multiple locations that I've been to other than the fact that it's filthy? The vegetables with peppers were cold and not served hot. Seemingly, every location that I have gotten the vegetable peppers. They were all served hot. The trash was piled up at the front door. When we walked in there was trash on the floor. None of the Tabasco sauces, that were off to the side, had any sauce left in...