POLL: Chipotle on the Rebound; Will You Eat There Again?

By CHARLENE ARSENAULT (Patch Staff)

Battling a windstorm of bad press following an E. coli outbreak at several locations nationwide and several instances of norovirus that sickened hundreds, Chipotle is reportedly planning to declare the outbreak over.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is predicted to pronounce the health scare has ended, reports CNN Money. The news sparked an increase Monday morning of 5 percent for Chipotle shares.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the CDC report does not indicate a cause of the outbreak.

Fifty-three customers at restaurants in nine states were affected by the E. coli outbreak, while dozens were hit with norovirus.

A Boston-area Chipotle was shut down in December after roughly 140 people were sickened, many of them Boston College students.

Illnesses linked to Chipotle food have also been reported in the Pacific Northwest and across the Northeast, including in Maryland, New York and New Jersey.

Chipotle in December received a subpoena demanding a wide range of documents relating to a norovirus outbreak at a Simi Valley, Calif., store, the Associated Press reported.

• Chipotle Outbreak Spreads to Maryland
• Chipotle Will Close for One Day to Talk Food Safety

The Chipotle-linked outbreaks led to a 30 percent drop in sales in December, according to the AP. Comps sunk 14.6 percent during the fourth quarter, showing a significant impact on sales, reportedRestaurant Business.

All Chipotle restaurants across the country will close for part of the day this month when its employees will attend a national team meeting to discuss food-safety changes.

The meeting, happening on Feb. 8, will not only discuss food-safety changes, but allow employees a chance to ask questions and “thank them for their hard work during this difficult time,” reports the Boston Herald.