Flamin' Hot ending explained: Did Richard get promoted?

Flamin' Hot was released on June 9, 2023, on Disney+ and Hulu. Directed by Eva Longoria, the film narrates the heartwarming story of Richard Montañez, the man who invented the iconic Flamin' Hot Cheetos crunchy corn puff snack. Flamin' Hot stars Jesse Garcia, Annie Gonzalez, Dennis Haysbert, Tony Shalhoub, Emilio Rivera, Matt Walsh, and Pepe Serna, among others.

The official synopsis of the film reads:

"FLAMIN’ HOT is the inspiring true story of Richard Montañez (Jesse Garcia), the Frito Lay janitor who channeled his Mexican American heritage and upbringing to turn the iconic Flamin’ Hot Cheetos into a snack that disrupted the food industry and became a global pop culture phenomenon."

The film's premise is interesting enough to draw attention as it sheds light on the vibrant Hispanic culture and traditions. Aside from that, the ending of Flamin' Hot has been much discussed online. So, for viewers who might be confused about the ending, Richard Montañez does promoted from a janitor to Director of Multicultural Marketing at Frito-Lay.

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Flamin' Hot ending explained: Why did the sale of the product get so high so fast?

When Richard realized that Frito-Lay was going to call off the Flamin' Hot Cheetos product, he decided to use his own ways to market it. He knew he could save the brand and make it one of the company's most successful snacks.

As such, he got into Mexican gangsters in the factory and gave an inspirational speech. Following this, he pushed every worker in the factory to go out and hand over the packets of Cheetos to people in the streets.

Everyone in the factory jumped on the bandwagon and took the initiative to save the company. Since they worked hard on the product, they knew that the only reason sales were low was because of insufficient marketing. With the help of Mexican gangsters, the factory workers took all the packets out of the factory and began distributing them in their locality. People started enjoying the snack, and that too without paying the price for it.

The Hispanic community was seen pleased with it the most, and even the Caucasians began purchasing them gradually. Here, Richard showed some amazing leadership skills, and his peers had nothing but respect for his "never say die" attitude. However, only time could tell if his marketing technique would work or not.

In a brand meeting overseen by the company's head, Roger Enrico, it was revealed that the sales of Flamin' Hot Cheetos were astronomical, and the product was a massive success. While working in the factory, Richard received a call from Enrico saying he needed more Flamin' Hot Cheetos. At first, Richard thought he had to deliver 5000 units, but then Enrico revealed that he needed 5 million units.

An ecstatic Richard instantly got to work, and the factory began producing Flamin' Hot Cheetos at a high rate. Considering the product's massive success, Richard's family, friends, and community expressed their happiness towards his success.

After a few days, Richard was seen cleaning the factory when his fellow employee/friend Clarence revealed that he had received a promotion. Richard was still a janitor, but he was pleased by Clarence's success. Richard asked the latter if there was any news about his promotion. However, Clarence told him to be patient.

The manager of the factory asked Richard to clean some rooms upstairs, but Richard replied that he was not going to do that because he was expecting a promotion after the success of the product. Following this, the manager even told him to be patient.

Richard then went upstairs and saw Roger Enrico waiting for him outside an office cabin. He revealed to him that Richard was now the company's Director of Multicultural Marketing and the cabin was his. The protagonist of Flamin' Hot was shocked and overjoyed, and as expected, everyone in the factory celebrated his amazing achievement.

Richard entered his new cabin and called his wife, telling her everything that had taken place. Overcome by emotions, his wife told him how proud she was that Richard was not a janitor anymore. Moreover, he held a prestigious position at a gigantic multinational corporation. Thus, by the end of the movie, it became evident that what he had worked for so hard ultimately bore him rewards of higher achievements and personal satisfaction.