HispanicTrending

She works at the 2600 Hennepin Ave. location of Chipotle Mexican Grill and had only cleared tables and served salsa before her boss started teaching English classes in January.

Denver-based Chipotle launched English-as-a-second language (ESL) classes in its first locations in 1996, and in the Twin Cities in June 2003. Classes are taught by managers in the stores, and employees are paid their hourly wage for attending the 90-minute lessons.

Armed with new knowledge, Magalon has now graduated to sometimes working as cashier, a position that requires talking directly to customers.

The 21-year-old Mexico native felt fortunate to have as her teacher Uptown store manager Pauly Hoffman, who has studied Spanish extensively.

“I like Pauly,” said Magalon, who still struggles with English sometimes but feels more comfortable speaking it thanks to the classes. “He’s very funny. We play and learn at the same time. And it’s helped me talk with the customers.”

Rather than classes that stress grammar and verb-conjugation, Chipotle’s curriculum centers on “occupational” Spanish, which includes basic words and phrases needed in the workplace. In the restaurant’s case, examples include “spicy shredded beef (barbacoa),” “free-range pork (carnitas)” or oft-heard phrases such as, “May I have a side of guacamole?” Lessons cover practical topics such as answering the phone or communicating about numbers and money.

“Some of our [Spanish-speaking] employees know a lot of English,” said Magalon’s manager Hoffman. “But they’re afraid to talk to customers, because they think they’ll come back with complicated phrases they don’t know. This helps them feel more confident.”