Chipotle: A Brief Summary

Chipotle ventured into a new territory when it was created, as it had an innovative vision for fast-casual restaurants. By using fresh and quality ingredients, Chipotle raised the bar in their segment. The service line where customers could see their order being prepared enhanced the experience of Chipotle. Consumers who were used to eating at fast-casual restaurants where the food was frozen and made out of sight were able to savor the uniqueness of Chipotle. These differences helped Chipotle become successful. However, as competitors copy the traits that make Chipotle unique, Chipotle must adapt and overcome in order to remain a profitable company.

Additionally, support for local and organic farming has shown a decrease in fast food sales. Recently fast food giant, Mcdonalds, has had to close nearly 700 restaurants due to lack of sales (Wahba). The general public is speaking out more and is stating they want fewer additives and more “real” food to be convenient. According to the WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION “GMO’s or “Genetically Modifies Organisms” are organisms in which the genetic material has been altered in a way that does not naturally occur”. The actual effects of GMO’s in food have had extensive research done to confirm suspicions that they are hazardous to the human body and are not suitable for consumption. Chipotle was the first fast food chain to disclose any artificial ingredients

Where and when did you observe the behaviors? Who made the observations? On 1/28/16, En-Lei observed inside of Chipotle. On 1/29/16 and 1/30/16, Matt observed across the street from Chipotle. On 2/1/16, Dana observed from a window across from Chipotle in the lobby of the Huntington Hall. On 2/2/16, John observed across the street from Chipotle. What behavior categories did you observe? How did you define each behavior category? We observed the outwardly happiness or unhappiness of individuals leaving Chipotle during lunch hours. We defined outwardly happiness as the smiling of each individual leaving Chipotle and unhappiness as the lack of a smile. When and how did you make observations? We used the frequency method of observation during lunchtime

Manipulation can not only be found to be used towards fast food restaurant employees, it can also be found in the food. Using man made additives such as monosodium glutamate, trans fat, and sodium nitrate manipulates the flavor of fast food by helping to enhance its overall flavor which is the result of having people go to fast food restaurants regularly. Altering the flavors of their food, especially meats, has not only helped them to attract consumers, it has also helped them to mask what goes behind the processing of their meats. Enhancing the flavors of their food makes the consumer totally disregard the potential dangers behind processed foods, as bacteria and viruses that cause foodborne illnesses are hiding within their meats. E. Coli, Salmonella, and other various diseases are not uncommon to find within a fast food industry due to the fact that they rely on the mass productions of beef and chicken. Relying on meatpacking industries results in the huge lack of concern when it comes to the supplier and the animals, just as long as the corporation gets their

Poor conditions leads to poor health and even after these inspections conditions didn’t improve as demonstrated in the novel, “Chew On This” by Eric Schlosser and Charles Wilson. In fact the visits became even less when in 2006 only 9,164 inspections were conducted (food inc.). What this corresponds with is an increase in foodborne illnesses. NBC News can be noted as saying in 2009, “Ten years ago, a team of CDC scientists put together the best enduring estimate of how many Americans get food poisoning each year: 76 million illnesses, which resulted in 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths.” (nbc.com). As the number of chains began to increase soi did this number. This evidence is no coincidence. The CDC scientist mentioned previously also can be noted as saying the “1 in 4 americans are affected by foodborne illness each year” (nbc.com). In correspondence to this researchers who wrote the book, “Chew on this” stated “One in four children and forty percent of all teens eat fast food daily.” (Schlosser/Wilson 8). Without jumping to conclusion researchers are able to conclude that the increase in fast food visits directly connects to the steady

Chipotles norovirus scared many however, who is to say that every Chipotle in America, is going to have contaminated meat. Shutting down Chipotles everywhere. People bring things too far. Chipotles sales went down dramatically, 30 percent. With that being said they lost a lot of their customers and regulars. People see things like this and run from it, saying things like “oh i’m never going to eat there.”, “their

Kenner reported that companies found it more beneficial to keep diseased food on the shelves and pay out the law suits (25:15). It is crazy to me that companies would not want to spend the money to conserve the reputation and respect of their company, but would rather pay off the individuals who actually report a recall. The scariest thing is that, as consumers, we are not given any information and are not able to avoid chemically treated or processed foods (18:10). The antibiotic-treated chicken is sold without warning and E. coli exists within meats. As humans, we eat food for nourishment. What happens when the food we are eating acts as a poison to our

Chipotle inappropriately handled this crisis because CEO Steve Ells and Co-CEO Monty Moran blamed the Center for Disease Control and the media for exaggerating the outbreak. Creating a public perception of Chipotle’s board members who did not showcase a clear motive for public health safety. After the E. coli outbreak, Moran made statements to Chipotle’s investors at an industry conference: “The media likes to write sensational headlines, you’ll probably see, you know, when somebody sneezes, Ah, it’s E. coli from Chipotle” (Colvin, 2015). Moran made another statement on Twitter ‘saying’ “CDC is working in an unorthodox way” (Wohl, 2015). Moran’s arrogant comments reflected a quality of an unconcerned CEO in the eyes of the public. In one of

Chipotle is facing numerous challenges due to the fact that E. coli outbreak which requires the corporation from the key stakeholders to keep it under control and apply the new food safety protocols which can aid to bring the regular customers back. Although the main cause remains a mystery, Chipotle’s E. coli outbreak has been authoritatively declared officially over by the experts. However, since the poisoning outbreak, the impact of the reduced number of customers affects the profit which the company used to enjoy before such eventuality (Scholes 27).

Management is the backbone of any good company. In order for a company to successful, a strong management team is needed in order to meet goals in an effective and efficient manner. Chipotle opened its doors in 1993 when Steve Ells took a chance and began his business in San Francisco. Chipotle is a chain of Mexican restaurants that is based in Denver. Chipotle is often cited as the company that started the fast casual movement where customers can get a healthy prepared meal quicker than other traditional styled restaurant. The fast casual restaurant concept was well received and Chipotle’s popularity expanded all across the United States. Customers could not get enough of the Mexican chain and massive lines could be seen stretching outside the stores all across the country. Along with its popular food, Chipotle Mexican Style Grill is a company that contains a successful management style. Why? What sets this companies management apart from the rest? There are many factors that we could analyze to understand the success of Chipotle, yet for the purpose of this paper, we will look into the cooperate culture of the company, human resource management, their leadership style, and how Chipotle deals with and how the company manages in times of crisis.

Steve Ells is the founder and CEO of Chipotle. Steve is a trained chef and opened his first Chipotle store in 1993 at a former Dolly Madison ice cream store in Denver, Colorado. His goal was to serve high quality, delicious food quickly and in a “fast-casual” setting (Ells).

Chipotle’s “Back to the Start” advertisement captures the sentiments of the audience by depicting Chipotle’s competitors’ practices as unethical. In both “Back to the Start” and the “Scarecrow” advertisements, Chipotle attempts to align itself with society’s growing belief that humane agriculture is better. Chipotle’s advertisements present their practices to be ethical, which sets its products apart from its competition. However, Chipotle’s message employs the same sentimental appeals and logical fallacies that are effective in their competitors’ advertisements.

Nutritional Foods Inc., a company that manufactures healthful products, has a major problem to address. Some of the company's products are allegedly responsible for a number of acute food poisoning cases. The problem has escalated from just a few cases of food poisoning to dozens of other reported cases. The company's chief executive, Fred James, has convened an emergency meeting comprising of members of the Crisis Action Committee. The key agenda of the meeting is how the situation that is threatening to get out of hand should be handled.

Traditionally, the fast food industry has been associated with the cause of this health-related issue (Boyle 2004). Major fast food companies have been called to Federal Government summits to improve the quality of junk food (Wright 2007). While most of these major companies have now taken

As of late 2015 and early 2016, Chipotle Mexican Grill faced a serious problem with food safety and received an ethical backlash because of it. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) along with state and local officials investigated two cases of E. coli O26 infection outbreaks from food served by Chipotle restaurants in several states