Is There Life After E Coli For Chipotle Restaurants?


Executives of Chipotle Mexican Grill stated with confidence that the company can make a comeback from recent outbreaks of foodborne-disease. The restaurant also announced a marketing plan to win back customers who have stopped eating there after the news of the outbreak broke.

Chipotle’s plan is to do more television ads and direct mail ads in order to attract customers, and also to use traditional advertisement such as newspaper ads. This has been the first time the restaurant has spoke about solid plans since the news broke about E. coli.

On Wednesday at an investor conference, Chipotle executives have stated that no customers have been affected by the outbreak since late November. They hope the Centers for Disease Control can soon announce an end to the outbreaks that are connected to the popular restaurant chain.

“I’m hopeful that the CDC will call this over soon,” said Chipotle Mexican Grill CEO Steve Ells.

According to the Washington Post, 500 people have been affected by E. coli nationwide and the Mexican grill is now being sued by shareholders who claim to have been deceived by the company’s safety practices.

Fortunately, no deaths have been reported.

Since Chipotle’s comeback was announced, the restaurant’s stock rose to 6% on Wednesday, Jan. 13.  This is the largest rise since the restaurant’s stock tanked by 42% in the last three months.

Chipotle execs state they are taking additional steps to provide a safe environment to customers both inside and outside the kitchen. They plan to make sure the ingredients have gone through centralized kitchens to ensure that the restaurant and their food are safe.

Even though many were freaked out about the outbreak, some plan to continue to eat at Chipotle. Most people have the mindset that if they didn’t get sick, then it isn’t their problem.

“If I’m not sick, I’m not stopping eating Chipotle,” said cab driver Yanemsew Zegeye, who claims to eats a vegetarian Chipotle meal every weekday.

Chipotle has a lot of supporters, but will it be enough to see the restaurant chain rise back to its former glory?

Featured image is by Mike Mozart, available under a Creative Commons 2.0 Attribution-Sharealike license.

Diamond Simmons is a passionate writer to enjoys giving her readers food for thought. Writing transformed from a simple hobby into a lifestyle. From politics to crime, Simmons is very versatile in writing different topics.