While Twitter may have seemed furious about this tipping policy this weekend, Chipotle has been limiting tips for months. As Business Insider reported in June, Chipotle began capping delivery tips at 50%. When asked, the chain offered the exact same reasoning as the social media team. Chipotle’s gesture toward using tipping to cheat didn’t make much of an impression. As Inc. noted, any money sent through the app would already be tracked by a bank. Money can be laundered, but that’s not Chipotle’s issue. “It’s doubtful that the local drug kingpin will clear $1 million worth of burritos at once,” the site added.
However, Newsweek gave the people behind the covering tip the benefit of the doubt. She previously reported on the practice of tip baiting, which offers a high tip initially before dropping it dramatically as the sender, understandably, tries to fulfill the tip order quickly. However, not allowing customers to tip beyond a certain point is not a serious solution to this problem. A Twitter user came offering a very different take on the situation: “It just seems to me that you’re making sure your employees don’t make more than your restaurant is making per order. And people wonder why no one wants to work . . .”
