Chipotle Mexican Grill wage and hour record at a glance
Chipotle Mexican Grill appears in 8 concluded Wage and Hour Division investigations in California, closed between Nov 15, 2017 and Apr 19, 2023. 5 of them found violations, 23 in all, and the employer agreed to pay $2,376 in back wages to 10 workers, plus $44,152 in civil money penalties. Of the back wages, $803 was unpaid overtime and $1,573 unpaid minimum wage under the federal standard. The largest single case closed Feb 14, 2021 in Livermore with $1,457 for 1 workers. The Division flagged 2 cases as repeat or willful. 5 minors were involved in child labor findings. That places the employer at #9,140 of 23,910 California employers in the database by back wages.
Industry as coded by the Division: Limited-Service Restaurants. Laws involved: FLSA, child labor.
Every case, newest first
| Case closed | Period investigated | City | Findings | Back wages | Workers paid | Penalties | Laws |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 19, 2023 | Apr 2020 to Apr 2023 | Berkeley | 8 violations repeat | $803 | 7 | $7,122 | FLSA |
| Jan 30, 2022 | Feb 2020 to Jan 2022 | Inglewood | no violations found | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Feb 14, 2021 | Dec 2020 to Feb 2021 | Livermore | 2 violations repeat | $1,457 | 1 | $830 | FLSA |
| May 3, 2020 | Apr 2020 to May 2020 | San Diego | 2 violations | $116 | 2 | 0 | FLSA |
| Jul 10, 2019 | Jul 2017 to Jul 2019 | Los Angeles | 10 violations | 0 | 0 | $36,200 | child labor |
| Dec 1, 2017 | Dec 2015 to Dec 2017 | Sacramento | no violations found | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Nov 15, 2017 | Jun 2017 to Nov 2017 | Los Angeles | no violations found | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Nov 15, 2017 | Jun 2017 to Nov 2017 | Los Angeles | 1 violation | 0 | 0 | 0 | FLSA |
Also filed as: Chipole Services, LLC; Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.; Chipotle Mexican Grille, Inc.; Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.842129301; Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc.; Chipotle Services LLC.
Local pages: Berkeley employment lawyer, Inglewood employment lawyer.
How to read this record
Each row is one federal investigation. Period investigated is the span of payroll the Division reviewed, usually two years back from the complaint. Back wages is what the employer agreed to pay for that period at the federal rate; penalties went to the government, not to workers.
Back wages computed under the federal law are usually a fraction of the California number for the same hours: the state minimum is $16.90 in 2026, overtime starts after 8 hours in a day, and each missed meal or rest period adds an hour of pay. Workers paid in these cases may still be owed that difference, and the federal release form covers only the federal claim.
Full explainer: what a Labor Department case is, and what it is not.
If you work, or worked, at Chipotle Mexican Grill
Pull together your pay stubs and your own record of hours for the last three years, request your pay records in writing (the employer has 21 days under Labor Code 226), and keep any WH-58 receipt from a Labor Department payment. A free review tells you in one call whether the California numbers exceed what was paid, whether break premiums and waiting time penalties apply, and whether anything that happened after you complained counts as retaliation. Call (800) 371-3088 or send your stubs.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division enforcement database, California cases. Record last checked Oct 30, 2026. Back to the wage theft tracker.
About this data: Cases come from the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division enforcement database (WHD compliance actions concluded since fiscal year 2005, California employers only), published by the Department of Labor and reloaded here every month. "Back wages" are amounts the employer agreed to pay at the close of the investigation; "penalties" are civil money penalties assessed. An investigation that found no violation is listed as such. The database does not include California Labor Commissioner cases or private lawsuits. This page is general information, not legal advice about your situation.