Norovirus Confirmed in Boston Chipotle Outbreak

“I would give them a C”, said Laurel Kennedy, principal of crisis management firm Blink. “But the procedures we’re putting in place today are so above industry norms that we are going to be the safest place to eat”. “If that’s the best brand promise you can deliver consumers, that’s very sad”. As a next step, Chipotle needs to do everything it can to determine when and where the food was contaminated in its production process, she said.

Arnold said Chipotle is using a special bleach to get rid of the norovirus, and all workers at the Boston Chipotle are being tested for norovirus. “But I know some of my co-workers were anxious about it and they didn’t want to come here”, she said Thursday. “On Twitter, there’s page after page of negative coverage”.

Initially, officials were concerned that the illnesses, which affected Boston College students, including eight basketball players, were the result of E.coli, an outbreak of which at Chipotle Mexican Grill spread from the west coast across the U.S. Boston health officials said the cause was norovirus, a common virus, while citing the restaurant for two health violations: improper handling of poultry and the presence of a sick employee. It causes as many as 21 million illnesses annually, often in places such as hospitals, cruise ships and universities where people eat and live in close quarters. “But they could shape it. They’re letting it run wild without any response”. (NYSE:CMG) develops and operates Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurants, which serve a focused menu of burritos, tacos, burrito bowls (a burrito without the tortilla) and salads.

“They can’t go on TV and say “food with integrity” anymore”. But because the location had repeated violations, health officials ordered it closed.

Moran also said the company would avoid marketing until the CDC has wrapped up its investigation, then run full-page print ads with letters of apology as well as a public information campaign that’s “perhaps more transparent, than any other company has ever been with regard to what happened and what we did”.

William Marler, a prominent Seattle lawyer who specializes in food safety, is representing 74 victims in Chipotle-related cases.

That culture is something all restaurant operators should build into their operations from Day 1, Nelken said. Finally, Sterne Agee CRT cut Chipotle Mexican Grill from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $766.00 price objective on the stock.in a research note on Monday, November 23rd.

“It’s time to give that culture a kick in the trousers and move into a higher realm of food safety”, Nelken said.

The chain had faced criticism for its lackluster response to the outbreaks in the past.

Chipotle’s reputation is perhaps more at risk than most in the fast-food industry because the chain has promised that it adheres to more-rigorous standards for procuring and serving its food.

“We know from food safety research and from food production in this country that there are a lot of vulnerable areas where food contamination could occur”, she said.