PITTSBURGH —
What allegedly happened to two customers inside some Pittsburgh-area Chipotle restaurants — one in Hampton, another in Wexford — has them unhappy and headed to court.
“Chipotle has been for some time, we understand, shortchanging its customers,” claimed Frank Salpietro, the plaintiffs’ attorney, in a Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 interview.
The attorney is seeking to turn the case into a class action lawsuit.”Chipotle has misappropriated or, to put it colloquially, stolen the money from the customer. They should have given that money to the customer, instead they’re lining their own pockets,” Salpietro claimed.Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 sought comment from Chipotle corporate headquarters.
“If a restaurant is low on change as a result of the nationwide coin shortage, our policy is to only accept exact change or other non-cash forms of payment,” said Laurie Schalow, Chief Corporate Affairs and Food Safety Officer, Chipotle, in a written statement provided by the company. “Restaurants that are impacted have signage posted on the door as well as inside, and employees have been instructed to alert guests prior to ordering. We encourage customers to contact us immediately with any concerns so we can investigate and respond quickly to make things right.”
“That is not what Chipotle is doing in practice, and more importantly, telling someone in advance that they are going to steal their money doesn’t get you off the hook for actually stealing it,” claimed Salpietro when informed of the company’s statement. “A press release from corporate headquarters in California does not reflect what is actually happening in Pennsylvania.”
Source: Chipotle sued by 2 Pittsburgh area women over alleged shortchanging attributed to coin shortage
