Chipotle stores to briefly close February 8 for company-wide meeting

Chipotle is to close all its stores temporarily on February 8.

Since August, Chipotle restaurants have had outbreaks of E. coli, norovirus and salmonella that affected hundreds of customers.

Outlining the plan during a Wednesday investor conference in Florida, company executives said the staff meeting would also include a discussion of new food-safety measures Chipotle has implemented and a question-and-answer session with employees.

Chipotle’s December sales were down 30 percent, according to a recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

While its fresh, non-GMO ingredients used to be a popular selling point for the fast-casual chain, public opinion took a dive after E. coli, norovirus, and salmonella outbreaks sickened more than 500 people across 10 states in 2015.

Last year, health officials investigated six outbreaks linked to Chipotle, one of which started in October in OR and Washington and spread to seven other states, causing 50 people to be ill.

Has anyone alerted Cyn Santana about this crisis?

Chipotle spokesman Chris Arnold said there hasn’t been an E. coli case in two months.

Last week, the company said it was subpoenaed by federal authorities as part of a criminal investigation into a different outbreak in California last fall.

For a short period on February 8, every single Chipotle story across the US will shut down. However, until the company can figure out a way to not have its food contaminated with disease, Chipotle will not win back the many customers it has lost.

In an apology letter that ran in 61 newspapers December 16, Chipotle founder and Co-CEO Steve Ells discussed changes to the chain’s food safety procedures. Since then, the company says it’s been serving a million customers a day “without incident”. “We did a really comprehensive review of food safety practices from farm to restaurants”.