Fans of Chipotle return, brush off E. coli concerns

“Screw-ups can occur in any kitchen, but obviously it’s more dramatic when it occurs in a kitchen that serves 5,000 people”, said Cieslak, who has helped investigate the E. coli outbreak that sickened about 45 people in Washington state and Oregon.

In 2011, an outbreak at a farm in Germany was even more devastating, killing at least 50 people who ate fenugreek sprouts produced there.

Forty-three outposts of the Mexican food chain in Washington state and the Portland, Oregon, area were closed at the end of October because of the outbreak that hospitalized more than a dozen people.

Pickett said he was impressed by how Chipotle dealt with the E. coli outbreak.

Analysts said that the E. Coli outbreak could lead to short-term impact on the sales but they doubt that it would have a lasting impact.

Due to the outbreak, the restaurant was inspected again this week.

The restaurant chain was allowed to reopen its Northwest outlets after completing a thorough cleaning, replacing all the fresh food and adopting a few new protocols for washing fresh produce.

But it’s impossible to avoid all bacteria on food, Cieslak says.

“We offer our most honest apologies to customers who have been affected by this incident”.

“It’s definitely something that I’m not too anxious about especially with–it’s kind of something that I personally believe is overhyped a lot so I’m just happy to have my burrito back”, said Dunkak.

Chipotle shuttered the locations in those areas more than a week ago as authorities investigated the E. coli outbreak.

“These things that they’re offering – to be testing before they send the produce out, add the additional rinse step – I think these are all good things that give me a few confidence that they’re minimizing their risk”, he said. “If there are any opportunities for us to do better in any facet of our sourcing or food handling – from the farms to our restaurants – we will find them”.

He noted that the restaurant had a steady stream of customers but not the lines he usually sees at lunchtime on a weekday. That’s about one in seven people in the country getting sick from food every year.

“I have no doubt in mind that the civil justice system does change behavior”, said Ryan Osterholm, a lawyer for Pirtzer Olsen in Minneapolis, which has filed lawsuits against Chipotle in the current case and a previous case in Minnesota.