Chipotle employee allegedly gives coworker a haircut on the clock, then goes right back to serving food

A Chipotle employee in Kokomo, Indiana, allegedly gave a coworker a haircut during her shift before returning to the counter to serve customers. The haircut reportedly took place outside the restaurant, where people were sitting nearby eating their meals. One person who claimed to have witnessed the incident said the employee went back inside without washing her hands.

According to the local Facebook page Kokomo in the Know, someone submitted a video of the haircut at the Chipotle near Markland Mall. The page said the person cutting hair was an employee working at the time, and that she resumed serving customers immediately afterward. The account has not been independently verified.

The fact that the haircut happened outside the restaurant initially led some commenters to question whether Chipotle was responsible. That changed when the page clarified that the person cutting hair allegedly worked there and had returned to serving customers afterward.

The haircut happened in full view of people inside the restaurant

The person filming captures two people through a glass wall, with one sitting and the other standing outside the restaurant. The person standing takes out a pair of electric clippers and begins buzzing the seated person’s hair. The video captures the haircut taking place, rather than just the moments before or after it.

Although the haircut took place outside the restaurant, the page said customers were eating near the two workers. The footage does not establish how long the haircut lasted or whether a manager knew it was happening. It also remains unclear whether the employee had stepped away from her assigned duties or was taking a break.

The person who submitted the video claimed the woman returned to the restaurant counter afterward and continued serving customers. Another commenter alleged that she did so without washing her hands, although that claim has not been independently verified.

Chipotle employees have to follow food safety rules between tasks

Chipotle has its own food safety procedures, but employees also have to follow state regulations when preparing and serving food. In Indiana, those rules address when workers need to wash their hands, including after activities that could contaminate them. Indiana’s rules don’t specifically address cutting hair, but employees who handle hair or grooming equipment may need to wash their hands before returning to food preparation.

Under the FDA Food Code, food employees must wash their hands before preparing food and after activities that could contaminate them. The guidelines also require proper handwashing when switching between tasks, even if an employee hasn’t been handling food directly during the previous activity.

Chipotle’s food safety program emphasizes handwashing, sanitation, and preventing contamination. The company says its restaurant employees receive regular food safety training, including instruction on maintaining clean work areas and handling food safely.

It’s unclear whether the employee washed her hands before returning to the counter or what tasks she performed once she was back inside. The video and Facebook post don’t establish whether the employee violated any food safety procedures, and no one has reported food contamination connected to the incident.

Some commenters said the allegations were enough to keep them from returning to the restaurant. ‘We will not be going back there to eat!’ one person wrote. Chipotle has not publicly addressed the incident, and it’s unknown whether management was aware of the haircut or took any action afterward.

The Mary Sue reached out to Chipotle and the person who shared the original post for comment about the incident. Neither had responded by publication, and this article will be updated if a response is received.

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