Chipotle’s closes restaurant in Boston after students sickened; officials

Upon school investigation, they discovered that they had just eaten in a Chipotle located in Cleveland Circle, which isn’t far from the campus, around a week before their symptoms began, which include diarrhea, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal cramps.

Chipotle said Monday that it temporarily closed a restaurant in Boston after several students at Boston College, including members of the men’s basketball team, reported “gastrointestinal symptoms” after eating at the chain. Chipotle said that there’s no evidence to suggest the Boston incident is related to previous cases, noting that there’s been no confirmed cases of E. coli connected to the restaurant operator in MA.

Chipotle shares extended their slide Monday after the company said an E. coli outbreak is expected to lead to its first sales decline since going public in 2006.

Chipotle, which prior to the E. coli outbreak had been a standout among restaurant-chain stocks, said it was stepping up measures to try to avert future problems with bad or spoiled ingredients.

In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission Friday, Chipotle said sales have been “extremely volatile” since early November as a result of the outbreak. In after hours trading, Chipotle stock fell another 6.2%.

All in all, 52 people have reported illness in relation to the E. coli outbreak linked with the chain, but as of now, which food is actually causing people to become ill has yet to be identified. It is unclear how big of a role Chipotle has played in this outbreak, but a recent report has indicated several reported cases of the disease being linked to the restaurant in over nine different states.

The Boston College periodical BE Interruption is reporting that the students have E. coli infections, but there is no confirmation of that. That was up from the six states and 45 illnesses as of late November.

The majority of illnesses were reported from Washington and OR during October.

Chipotle shut down dozens of stores in the Pacific Northwest when the illnesses were first reported.

Chipotle, which is known for touting the quality of its ingredients, also said Friday it was tightening its food standards.