Chipotle's Dilemmas

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

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) is a quick-service and casual Mexican-inspired restaurant chain based out of Denver, Colorado. The company takes pride in doing a few things exceptionally well: To serve high quality and delicious food quickly with an experience that not only exceeded, but redefined the fast food experience. Chipotle focuses on sourcing the best possible ingredients, serving the tastiest food, and growing the most capable team possible.

When you are feeling down in the dumps, you have two options. Option A: go to the doctor to get an antibiotic to help you feel better, or Option B: just stick it out, feel terrible for an extended amount of time, and infect some other people with the same sickness along the way. Since the late 1800’s, most people have been choosing option A. In today’s society, most people don't think twice about having an antibiotic prescribed to them. Unfortunately, though, many activists challenge this theory and falsely accuse agriculturalists for infecting the food chain with antibiotics and hormones.

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

Cold steel tiling and off-kilter pop music overwhelmed the scene at which is I was presented with a moral dilemma. A man with a black t-shirt and hat asked the question that, to this day, I can’t find the perfect answer to: White or brown rice? How could I choose? One of my greatest moral dilemmas is deciding between getting rice that tastes better, or the rice that gives me a false sense of being nutritionally responsible. How could anyone be just a brown rice person or just a white rice person? Upon reflection on my experience at Chipotle, as well as many other “this or that” scenarios, I came to a conclusion: There are two types of people in the world: those who believe that a person can usually be categorized into one of two groups, and

The business I have chosen is Chipotle. In 2015 Chipotle faced a large ethical issue, they had an e coli outbreak. The e coli happened in eleven different states and fifty-five people were sickened from the outbreak, out of those fifty-five people, twenty-one of them were hospitalized from the outbreak. When people first started reporting being ill they were not sure what food from chipotle was causing the sickness, it was even harder to determine what caused the sickness because so many foods at Chipotle get mixed together. While investigating the outbreak Chipotle had closed forty-three restaurants in Washington and Oregon.

Chipotle targets people ages 18-24 that are in the middle class and presumably well-educated. As per the U.S. Census data accessible in April 2016, Chipotle's business sector comprised of 13.3 million family households with a 10 billion cap out of a 120 billion fast-food market. The information uncovered that 79% of the family households were non-Hispanic whites and 33% of them had higher educations or graduate degree. There are additionally family buyers of Chipotle which 68% of them were wedded with 35% in a two-person family to be a couple and 43% in a three to four-person family household wedded with kids. Chipotle searches for grubbers and wellbeing fanatics who likes to eat big amounts of food or have a meal that is good for the body. Chipotle targets individuals who are earth cognizant that takes after the 'Food with Integrity' mission, socially engaged, technology knowledgeable, and financially

This article is about how Chipotle was with a federal grand jury subpoena due to a connection with norovirus in a Simi Valley restaurant. There was outbreak of the norovirus and/or E. coli; thus causing many of the chain restaurants to temporarily shut down. Nearly a month after they reopened those restaurants almost 150 college students had a norovirus after eating Chipotle. Which in result is causing the FDA to use criminal sections on these food safety outbreaks.

Last week, Stanford University announced a plan to cover tuition costs for more accepted students. Tuition typically runs around $46,000 per year. The school said that 77% of its undergraduate students currently graduate with no student debt. However, the goal is to create a more accessible education.

Chipotle has been given a subpoena, which is an order to attend court, because they’re under investigation for a norovirus incident at a Simi Valley restaurant. In a filing with Securities and Exchange Commission, Chipotle is required to produce a “broad range of documents” related to the isolated incident in August. The investigation is being conducted by the U.S attorney’s office for the Central District of California in conjunction with the FDA. Chris Arnold, Chipotle spokesman, email that the franchise would cooperate fully in the investigation, but the company does not discuss pending legal actions as matter of policy. First the E.coli outbreak, now the norovirus, Chipotle is under a lot of fire as is loses over 30% of profits.

After performing Step 1 of their turnaround game plan (which was to give away free food), Chipotle is ready to take the next step.

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).