Chipotle 'Sweatshop' Location Loses Nearly All Staff, Closes

A Chipotle at Penn State University was temporarily forced to shut down after the location lost almost its entire staff, including management and crew members, who cited "borderline sweatshop conditions" in a note from the staff that was posted to the door of the restaurant.

The State College Chipotle is closed after four managers quit in the last two days. Here's the sign on the door: pic.twitter.com/yxZJLKbw4f

— Onward State (@OnwardState) September 10, 2014

Meanwhile, Chipotle's corporate office has contested the note, saying that only a "minority of staff" resigned, while there are "a majority of others who are enthusiastic to return to work," according to Bloomberg.

A former manager for the location told Onward State, a local student news outlet, that Chipotle routinely scheduled six to eight workers for shifts that needed 13 or 14 staff, resulting in workers completing 10- to 12-hour shifts "without any breaks to eat."

The note left by employees during the location's closure encouraged others to "help spread awareness" and "ask our corporate offices why their employees are forced to work in borderline sweatshop conditions."

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Karen Lo is an associate editor at The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @appleplexy.