When people think about restaurant safety, they usually think about the obvious things: slips and falls, burns, cuts, food safety, equipment and workers’ compensation. But there’s another part of the picture that doesn’t get talked about as much: leadership.
Chipotle recently announced that it plans to expand its Apprentice program, with the goal of having an Apprentice in every restaurant by the end of 2027. According to the company, Apprentices already support about three-quarters of its restaurants and provide additional leadership and staffing coverage during peak periods and weekends.
Chipotle says its Apprentices help with areas like training and digital operations and give General Managers another person to share responsibilities with. The company isn’t calling this a safety program, but there’s a pretty clear connection. The more people you have who understand how the restaurant is supposed to run, the less everything depends on one manager.
The real test is the busy shift
Most procedures are pretty easy to follow when the restaurant is quiet. The harder part is staying consistent when the kitchen is slammed, someone called out, tickets are stacking up and everybody is moving fast. That's usually when things start to slip.
A spill doesn’t get cleaned up right away. Someone lifts something the wrong way. A new employee gets shown a shortcut instead of the correct procedure. Someone uses a piece of equipment they’re not fully comfortable with. That’s where another trained leader on the floor can really help.
Safety shouldn’t live with one person
A lot of restaurants end up with one person who knows how everything works. One manager knows the safety procedures. One person knows how to fill out an incident report. One supervisor does most of the training. That can work until that person isn’t there.
An apprentice-style program gives another employee a chance to learn those responsibilities before they’re suddenly expected to handle them on their own. They can shadow someone experienced, ask questions, take on more responsibility and gradually learn how to run the operation. That’s useful for leadership development, but it can also help with safety. It creates another person who understands what good practices are supposed to look like.
Learning by doing matters
There’s something very practical about learning alongside someone who already knows the job. An employee can sit through safety training, but it’s different when they’re actually involved in a pre-shift meeting, safety walk-through, new-hire training or incident follow-up. They start to see how those things fit into the operation.
And over time, they become another person who can reinforce them. That’s really the part of Chipotle’s approach that stood out to us. The Apprentice role isn’t just about filling a future management position. It gives someone the chance to learn leadership before they’re fully responsible for it.
There may be another benefit, too
Chipotle also says employees participating in its Cultivate Education program have a 66% lower average annual turnover rate than nonparticipating employees and are promoted about 1.4 times as often. Those numbers are specific to Chipotle, so they won’t necessarily look the same everywhere. But they do show why restaurants are paying more attention to development from within.
Chipotle says more than 85% of its restaurant managers started as crew members. For restaurants that struggle with turnover, that’s worth thinking about. Developing people internally can create a clearer career path, while also building more employees who already understand the operation, the expectations and the culture.
You don’t need a formal “Apprentice” title
A smaller restaurant probably isn’t going to create a formal program like Chipotle’s. That’s fine, but the idea can still work. Pick one or two employees who show leadership potential. Let them shadow a manager. Teach them how to handle an injury, train a new employee, do a safety walk-through or recognize common hazards. Give them a chance to learn before they’re the person everyone is looking to for answers. That’s really what makes the apprentice approach interesting.
And from a safety standpoint, that can be a very good thing. Policies matter. Training matters. But so does having enough people on the floor who know what good practices look like and are comfortable speaking up when something isn’t right. That’s why Chipotle’s Apprentice expansion is worth watching.
It’s a workforce-development move, but it may also be a smart way to build a stronger and safer operation.
Kathleen Hughes is a Risk Communications Strategist at DiNicola Insurance Services. Kathleen is licensed in Property & Casualty, Life, and Accident & Health insurance and holds the Certified Restaurant Risk Professional (CRRP) and Certified Workers' Compensation Specialist (CWCS) designations.