They were actually really strict about not wasting ingredients. I was repeatedly (gently) reprimanded about letting too much lettuce spill outside the tacos that I made. But definitely no room for experimentation by the line staff!

At that time common items (bean burritos, regular tacos) we're made in advance and kept under a hot-lamp, but once they expired (something very short like 15 min) they were strictly thrown out with the idea that otherwise staff would make too many and take the extras home.

I gained the trust to operate every position in the place *except* the meat station. That ingredient was too valuable to trust to a high school student, and was usually run by a Mexican immigrant with a few years experience (this was Scottsdale AZ in early 1990s).