Chipotle Disease

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

After interviewing 59 of the people they reported eating at a Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurant in at least 19 different restaurant locations. The patients were found to be infected with a strain of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O26 (STEC O26) (CDC, 2016). But then at the height of this outbreak, at least 120 people who ate at a Boston Chipotle contracted norovirus (Malcolm, 2016). This additional outbreak provided even more complexity to the investigation’s attempt to identify the disease cluster.

One of Chipotle’s significant core competencies is to offer premium quality food at a low cost. In 2003 to 2004 Chipotle decided to obtain locally grown produce and meat from farms with high animal welfare standards. Farmers who followed the guidelines set forth by the Department of Agriculture’s were Chipotle’s priority suppliers to fulfill their “Food with Integrity” campaign. Providing a close business relationship with these farmers has enabled both Chipotle and the farmers to have a competitive advantage over their competition. Chipotle has found their customers appreciate a restaurant with strong food ethics. Chipotle is currently leading the way for fast-casual dining especially since the trend in North America is for better healthier ingredients.

This past October, 2015, Chipotle Mexican Grill’s reputation took a big hit following E. coli and norovirus outbreaks that left tons of people sick. As a result of this, the company closed 43 restaurants in Washington state and Oregon after linking some restaurants to an E. coli outbreak, which sickened 52 people around those area. The E coli outbreak has led to wide spread to other states that left customers sick from their food and has caused the company a down fall of their

The way cattle are raised, slaughtered, and processed provides the perfect setting for E. coli to spread. Because meat is now distributed all over the nation, an outbreak of food poisoning in one town can lead to a nationwide epidemic. The meatpacking industries are looking for the cheapest ways to make food to make more profit, even if it means less regulation on the quality of food. Cattle are fed remains and fecal matter of other animals, because grain prices are rising. Even fast food restaurants can be unsanitary and unfit for food production because there are not enough regulations regarding sanitary.

There has been an outbreak of E-coli in about 16 states early this year, which was related to the romaine lettuce which was acquired from Yuma, Arizona. “The C.D.C. learned that the others infected by that particular strain, E. coli O157:H7, had also eaten chopped romaine lettuce at restaurants before getting sick. It turned over the information to the Food and Drug Administration, which helped trace the outbreak to Yuma, Ariz.”, (Chokshi,2018). The e-coli would have been transmitted through feces which may have come from either a human or an animal. States like Pennsylvania and Idaho have been affected the most.

In October 2015, an E.coli outbreak closed multiple restaurants across the US. Then in December a Norovirus illness outbreak was linked to Chipotle restaurants. These issues happened because managers were not taking proper actions in handling sick employees and sanitation. Chipotle tried to gain back the trust and loyalty of the customers by showing an effort to stop this from ever happening again. They also had a day where you could get a free burrito or bowl by texting a promotional number. Although this was a huge obstacle, they took the necessary steps to maintain the high reputation. For the future, they must be more precautious when handling sicknesses and sanitation. They need to take more proactive steps to prevent this from happening

The restaurant industry in the United States had annual sales of $ 631.8 billion and employs 12.9 million people in 2012. Even in times of recession there is little evidence that this industry has seen a decline especially in its fast food and quick service segment. But with a depressed economy with no immediate upward trend in the near future, majority of the customers indicated that they would either curtail their spending on eating or best maintain its current level which is certainly going to affect the future of many restaurants in the industry. Chipotle is part of the fast casual segment of the U.S industry with over 1,600 restaurants.

Chipotle could have not foreseen the turn of events in their stores and could not have possibly predicted the outcome. The social factor is uncontrollable and can at any moment shift an industry’s source of success. Chipotle was once widely known for serving healthy, fresh dishes to their customers. However, when the outbreak spread from city to city, Chipotle was at serious risk. As a result of the outbreak, people are in fear and are second guessing whether it is worth eating at Chipotle’s again. Many of Chipotle’s customers did not feel safe to go back. Chipotle’s impression and reputation changed for many customers. Chipotle’s spokesman, Chris Arnold, reports, “Because we will probably never know for sure what caused this… we have taken significant measures to improve safety,” (Arnold B6). Even after the chaos, Chipotle still stands strong in the hope to revive their business to its former glory (Jargon, Jessie B6). The chain has taken significant measures to ensure a cleaner and safer environment for any individual that enters their doors. The cause of the outbreak is a mystery and this uncontrollable factor has greatly affected the hearts of many. Chipotle is pushing their way into the first stage of recovery and is stressing that their restaurant is no longer a threat to its

I choose to explore Chipotle for this assignment because this brand has become a staple in the fast food industry in what I perceive a very short amount of time. I am currently a loyal customer of Chipotle, I have been eating at this restaurant for about 7 years now. I perceive this brand to represent quality fast food, consistently.

A pressing issue in our society is focused on the food industries. There have been many outbreaks of E.coli poisoning especially in the popular food chain Chipotle since late in 2015 to today. E.coli poisoning is a bacteria that lives in our intestines and can cause infections in the body if contracted. Our bodies can contract E.coli from not only food but also water. According to U.S Food and Drug Administration and The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the infection of E Coli poisoning has been linked to many Chipotle Mexican Grill Restaurants. According to the CDC has reported as many as 55 people who have been effected by E.coli poisoning in 11 states. According to the New York Times, they reported roughly 500 people the Pacific Northwest all the way to Boston have become ill

This scenario, according the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is a typical scenario when families [adults and children] develop E.coli from contaminated foods, such as ground beef [most common source of E.coli], vegetables that have been exposed to manure in their growing stage, and unpasteurized juices (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2014). Upon observation, of the epidemiologic information in the case study, my hypothesis [preliminary guesses as to the source of the infection] is that that those who sought treatment in the emergency room had all eaten hamburgers, made with undercooked ground beef, at the same fast food restaurant.

According to Aamer Madhani a writer for USA TODAY (2015), the crisis began in August of 2015, when 64 customers in Minnesota got salmonella poisoning, a potentially life threatening form of food poisoning. Also in August, Madhani reported that a Chipotle restaurant in California was temporarily closed after 80 customers and 18 employees had symptoms of Norovirus. The sickening continued in October and November of 2015, Madhani reported that customers in over ten states have become ill from E. coli, another extreme and life threatening form of food poisoning. Overall, according to Susan Berfield, a writer for the Bloomberg Report (2015), a total of 500 people all over the country became sick from eating at Chipotle. It was also reported by Berfield (2015) that there were three pathogens, salmonella, norovirus, and E. coli, that caused the five separate outbreaks around the country. Of the 500 customers, over 70 of them received the same strain of E. coli; however, of those 70 people, 22 required medical attention and hospitalization. In the Bloomberg Report (2015), Doug Powell, a food-safety professor made a statement that said, “they were paying attention to all that stuff (healthy, organic ingredients), but they weren’t paying attention to microbial safety.” Unfortunately, this is what many believe led to the three strings of outbreaks, because Chipotle focused more on the quality and neglected food safety

The E.Coli outbreak began with the restaurants of Chipotle which caused the chain of restaurants to shut down its 43 different branches because many consumers have been affected.

Chipotle Mexican Grill is attempting to revolutionize the fast food market. After observing the popularity of taquerías in San Francisco, founder Steve Ells brought his love of Mission-style burritos to Denver, Colorado in 1993. With rapid success, Ells began to expand the company outside Colorado. Today, Chipotle serves its burritos at over 1,900 restaurants globally. The leader in the fast-casual industry employs the use of local ingredients and sustainable farming practices to promote its mission of “food with integrity.” Focusing on the farm to fork movement, Chipotle aims to apply ethics at every point in the supply chain.