Chipotle employee tells boss he's working from home today

TORONTO, ON—A 24-year-old Chipotle employee called his boss this morning to let him know that he intends to "work from home" today. Hayden Schuster says his plan is to park himself on his futon in his one-bedroom apartment and rapidly assemble approximately 8,000 burritos, soft tacos, and salads for no one in particular.

"I did a huge grocery shop last night so I'm all ready to go," Shuster explains. He adds that the grocery bill was "thousands of dollars" and that it would take him "I don't know, decades?" of Chipotle shifts to break even.

"But – let me ask you this," he continues. "Can you really put a price on freedom?"

Chris Keillor, the shift supervisor at Chipotle's Front Street location, says the move is unprecedented – but that he will allow it.

"Generally we like our counter staff to physically be at work while making the items on our menu," he explains. "But here at Chipotle we pride ourselves on offering our employees an excellent work/life balance. If Hayden feels he needs a day to work from home in his pajamas, I can make room for that."

Schuster says he arrived at the decision to work from home today after experiencing feelings of extreme burnout during the holiday season. He says he's grateful to his boss for understanding, and is hopeful that working from home will allow him to "spend more time with his family," which consists of his turtle, Turt Lancaster, and a collection of limited edition Star Wars figurines.

Schuster adds that he's keenly aware his plan is missing a key element – customers – but that he's not too worried about it.

"Any Mexican food enthusiast is welcome to drop by my apartment today instead of going to our Front Street location," he says brightly. "I realize I live about 45 minutes away from the restaurant by public transit. So it might not be the most conveni – oh, also, my buzzer is broken. Ugh, that thing's been busted for months. Also, guys, the store was out of avocados so I won't have any guac. Still come, though. It's fine. Everything will be fine. See you all there!"