Chipotle - Rounding Up, Does it Cost You?

Fayetteville's Chipotle restaurant has been open for nearly one year  and there is still always a line. Customers proved they like creating their own healthy mexican style meal that touts free range meats and fresh ingredients. But do you approve of the company's "rounding" policy?

In last week's Yahoo news finance report, they illuminated a payment policy that the restaurant chain uses in some locations called "rounding".

Just like it sounds, the term is used by the company to round the change in receipt totals for cash transactions at some of their locations, but not at our Fayetteville location at 1918 Skibo Road according to their General Manager, David Damlin.

The thought behind the practice is that the less coins their cashiers handle, the more time they save behind the counter.

As The Consumerist pointed out, rounding to the nearest nickel isn't really a big deal, as long as the restaurant is rounding down. But if it rounds up, you pay extra - even if it's just a penny or two.

In one sense, this seems like a smart idea. Who wants excess change clogging up their pockets, anyway, especially if it means you'll get your food faster? But at least one customer objected to this "Chipotle-style math," the New Jersey newspaper reported, and sent in his receipts for review:

"On the first, dated July 13, the nine items added up to $32.93. There was $2.31 in tax. The total should have been $35.24, but next to the 'total' line on the receipt, it said $35.25. The next receipt, with the same sale date, showed a subtotal of $8.64. The tax was $0.60, so the grand total should have been $9.24. But no. With Chipotle-style math, the total was $9.25."

Do you think rounding of meal receipts - up or down - to eliminate pennies is a reasonable policy for a busy restaurant? Tell us in the comments below.